Comings & Goings: Advantage Carpet going out of business in Bridgeview

After 30 years of selling carpet and floor coverings at 7329 W. 79th St. in Bridgeview , Advantage Carpet owner Marty Mokry is getting ready to call it quits.

“After 40 years in floor coverings, I’m hoping to semi-retire,” said the owner of the small but popular carpet store.

“I wanted to fully retire but my wife doesn’t want me to,” he said with a laugh.

Mokry said a going out of business sale started Monday and will continue for at least a couple of months. “I need to liquidate the inventory,” he said.

The closing will affect only him and a second salesman.

Once he closes the store next to Kmart on 79th Street, Mokry said he would find a small storage space and continue to sell carpeting from his home.

“That’s why I’m keeping the phone number (708-496-8822),” he said.

One reason he’s closing the shop that he opened in 1988 is changes in the floor covering industry. “Just like you’ve seen a lot of changes in your industry, I’ve seen a lot in my industry. It used to be fun, but it’s not fun anymore,” he said.

Changes include consolidation among carpet mills and difficulty in advertising in today’s era of fewer newspapers and social media.

Besides being known for outstanding service and commitment to customer satisfaction, Advantage Carpets was always involved in area charities.

The business has been a strong proponent of Avon’s Walk for the Cure since 1998.

Mokry said there was a second location in Palos Park in the early 2000s.

The store will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

For information, call the store at 708-496-8822.

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Beefy’s to close for vacation

Beefy’s, an iconic restaurant for decades at 5749 S. Harlem Ave. on the border between Summit and Chicago’s Garfield Ridge neighborhood, will be shutting down Monday, July 31.

Regular customers don’t need to worry, the restaurant is only closing for vacation and will be reopening on Saturday, Aug. 19.

This might become a regular occurrence as the restaurant did the same thing last summer.

Baby’s opens in Crestwood

Baby’s gaming cafe is now open at 13410 S. Cicero Ave. in Crestwood behind Wendy’s and next door to Pockets Billiards.

The cafe offers slots and video poker from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily. The cafe has a private entertainment room and offers beer and wine.

New hotel coming to Tinley

Another hotel is coming to the busy intersection of Harlem Avenue and Interstate 80 in Tinley Park.

WoodSpring Hotels has partnered with Holladay Properties, a privately held, full-service commercial real estate firm, to develop its third hotel in the Chicago market.

Holladay Properties owns two WoodSpring Suites hotels in Romeoville and Darien.

Construction is underway with a planned February 2018 opening. Once completed, the new, four-story, 123-suite hotel will feature in-room kitchens, free high-speed internet, guest laundry and a fitness room.

“The WoodSpring Hotels team has exceeded our expectations from pre-planning to opening and operating our two locations in 2016 in Romeoville and Darien,” Tim Healy, SVP and partner at Holladay Properties, sad in a release. “Our appetite remains robust as we continue our strategic expansion of Holladay’s hotel portfolio now in Tinley Park and elsewhere throughout Chicagoland.”

“We continue to seek best-in-class development partners such as Holladay Properties as we continue with our own, aggressive growth plans,” Ron Burgett, EVP of franchise development and operations for WoodSpring Hotels, said in the release. “With its existing Illinois-based WoodSpring portfolio, Holladay Properties is a proven local player in the extended-stay segment and the ideal franchise partner to help us grow the brand throughout the Midwest.”

Walgreens closing stores in Matteson, Richton Park

Walgreens will close two south suburban stores on Thursday, July 27, as part of its previously announced plan to close about 60 stores throughout the country.

“We are planning to close our stores in Matteson and Richton Park,” company spokesman Phil Caruso said in an email. “Pharmacy records at our Matteson store will automatically transfer to our store at 7209 Lincoln Highway in Frankfort. Pharmacy records at Richton Park will automatically transfer to our store at in Olympia Fields at Governors Highway and Crawford. Patients will be receiving a letter in the mail with more information about their prescription records.”

Caruso also said that a Walgreens store was closed in Gary, Ind., in June and a store in Chicago Heights was closed in April.

“All of these closings are part of a previously announced plan to close approximately 60 stores throughout the country. We are not focusing on any particular region and the closing will occur over a period of time. As we have gone through this process we have been able to place the majority of employees with jobs in other nearby stores,” Caruso said.

The Village of Matteson announced the closing of the store in that village in a Tweet earlier this month. That message also indicated a store in Orland Park was slated for closing.

Caruso said he was not aware of any store closing in Orland Park.

If you see a new

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