Comings & Goings: Twins close Geminelli’s pizzeria in Bridgeview

Sorry to report that Geminelli’s pizzeria, which opened this summer at 90th and Harlem Avenue in Bridgeview, closed last week.

The restaurant was owned by twin sisters who tried to make a go of it on their own after losing out on a chance to take over a family restaurant business on Chicago’s Southwest Side.

Here’s what they posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page on Nov. 3:

“We’re sorry to say but Geminelli’s is now permanently closed. We want to thank all our customers (old and new ) who gave their support and the dedication to help . You all will be missed. The reason for closing is because the cost became too hard to keep up with. Again we thank all our customers and we love you all!!!”

{{more}}Uncle Sam sells bank stake for 30 cents on the dollar

The Treasury Department has earned billions on the money it invested in troubled banks during the 2008 financial crisis.

But now Uncle Sam is winding down its TARP program and is willing to take a loss on some of the smaller deals.

One of those deals was concluded recently when it auctioned off $38 million in preferred stock in Bridgeview-based Bridgeview Bancorp for 30 cents on the dollar. The government said last week that it sold the stock for $11.2 million.

Bridgeview bank has 14 branches and assets of more than $1 billion. In the last quarter, it reported earnings of $2.4 million.

Doc celebrates 30 years in medicine

Dr. Edmund W. Vizinas has been practicing medicine in Garfield Ridge for 30 years. He’s been at it so long that he is starting to see the children and grandchildren of patients he started seeing when he first hung out his shingle.

Vizinas, a Bridgeport native and 1970 graduate of De La Salle High School, went to Loyola University for pre-med classes and earned his medical degree at the University of Chicago.

He spent the first two years of his career working in an underserved rural area of Minnesota before returning to Chicago and opening his practice in internal medicine on Archer Avenue in November 1983.

His first office was near Austin Avenue, but parking limitations prompted him to move to his present location at 6918 W. Archer about 12 years ago.

Vizinas said that with internal medicine, he handles all nonsurgical health concerns of adults. He sees as many as 20 patients a day.

ÒIt is not as bad as it seems,” he said. ÒI know most of my patients. They have been coming here for years and are like friends. I have all their medical history here, so we don’t have to spend time on preliminaries and I can just help them with what they need. Sometimes it is just a change of prescription.”

His practice is a family affair, too, with his wife, Grazina, working alongside him as his nurse and office manager several days a week. Their daughter, Dina, also worked in the office before getting a full-time job as office manager for Edwards Hospital. There is another doctor in the family, too, with their son, Thomas, doing his residency at Lutheran General Hospital.

Crestways Flooring has new name, new location

John Price, president of Klassic Home Building & Remodeling, saw an opportunity and took it when he acquired control of Crestways Flooring in Lyons.

Price merged the carpet company, which had been operating in Lyons for more than 40 years, with his own and renamed the new entity Crestway Klassic Flooring and moved the combined operation into his Hodgkins location at 6880 River Road.

All of the familiar faces at Crestways made the move including longtime office manager Lois Logston, Gerald Lindaur and five installation crews.

Hours at the new business are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For information, call 708-354-2200 or 708-442-7250.

If you see a new business in town or wonder what happened to an old favorite, drop me a line at [email protected].

You can also catch up on Comings & Goings in other parts of the Southland at www.southlandbusinessnews.com and www.southlandsavvy.blogspot.com.