K.E. Jewelry opened recently in Orland Park.

The high price of gold (hovering around $1,700 an ounce) has brought one of those shops that buy gold to Tinley Park.

We Buy and Sell Gold, which the village classifies as a jewelry store, opened recently at 7112 W. 171st St. in the former home of the village’s first and only pawn shop, which closed late in 2010 after its owner violated the terms of his arrangement with the village and purchased four antique guns.

Hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and closed on Sundays.

A gold buying store called K.E. Jewelry opened recently at 15810 S. Harlem Ave. in the Home Depot Plaza in Orland Park. Hours are Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed on Sundays.

It joins three other gold buying stores that have rebranded themselves Gold Max after doing business for a long time as Midwest Gold Buyers.

Those stores are in Orland Square Mall, 14700 S. LaGrange Road and 7928 W. 159th St.

Plaza Café Closes in Frankfort

One of our favorite places closed this week when the state revoked the business registration of the Plaza Café in Frankfort over issues with back taxes. If a deal can be reached between the owner and the state Department of Revenue, the restaurant could reopen, but chances are those Heidi cakes are gone forever.

New Lenox Library Café Closes

The New Lenox Library can’t seem to catch a break in regards to its in-house café. The latest blow came last week when Book and Bean Too closed because of health issues for its owner. The café had just reopened in September after being closed for several months. Library officials are trying to determine whether the café can reopen or do they need to seek a new vendor – again.

Old World Pizza Coming to Tinley

Original Old World Pizza, also known as Fat Ricky’s, is taking over the space at 16703 S. Harlem Ave. in Tinley Park that was home for a short time last year to Capri Express.

Fat Ricky’s opened a location in Orland Park in 2010. The chain began in Elmwood Park in 1963 and has other locations in Shorewood and Romeoville.

The eateries are known for their pizza, burgers, pasta, sandwiches and calzones. You can check out their menu at http://www.fatrickys.com/ and get more information at their Facebook page.

Calls for more information were not returned, so I don’t have an exact opening date but it should be soon.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Green Garden Golf Course in Frankfort lost its golf dome in last February’s blizzard when the storm ripped a hole in the fabric covering and it deflated.

Plans to erect a new and improved dome have been hampered this month by bitter cold and two Friday snowstorms.

Golf course general manager Todd Russell said he expects the dome to be open for business by next Tuesday, if not sooner.

“Realistically, I expect it will be open a week from today,” he said on Tuesday. “We’ll try for sooner but no later than next week.”

Russell said he would keep posting golf dome updates on the golf course website http://www.greengardencc.com/.

The new dome will be heated and have a two-level hitting area. The dome will have 42 hitting stations, a putting green, chipping area, a sitting area with TVs, snacks and beverages.

Once it does reopen, the dome will be open Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Sundays from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Standard rates for ages 19-61 will be Monday to Friday $12 per half-hour, Saturdays and Sundays $15 per half-hour.

Senior rates for ages 62 and older will be $11 per half-hour for anytime weekdays and after noon on weekends.

Junior rates for ages 18 and younger will be $10 per half-hour for anytime weekdays and after noon on weekends.

There also will be a season pass good anytime and valid from November to March for $750.

New Grocery Store Eyes Frankfort
Mariano’s Fresh Market, a division of Roundy’s Supermarkets in Milwaukee, has been slowly moving into the Chicago marketplace and will present plans Thursday night to the Frankfort Plan Commission for a 70,000-square-foot store at 20900 S. LaGrange Road (between McDonald’s and Old Plank Trail Bank.

Let’s see, between U.S. 30 and 191st Street there are already five supermarkets including Jewel, Dominick’s, Walt’s, Brookhaven and Aldi.

If this store is approved (and who doesn’t believe it will be), the stores could start their own softball or bowling leagues.

Brighton Collectibles Opens in Orland Square
Brighton Collectibles, a specialty store that carries items from jewelry to handbags and accessories, opened Friday in the lower level Macy’s Court at Orland Square Mall in Orland Park.

Store hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For information, call 708-873-1658 or visit them online at http://www.brighton.com/.

Free Dessert for January Birthdays at Chick-fil-A
Orland Park’s Chick-fil-A restaurant has a free dessert from 5-8 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 25, for anyone born in January.

Blockbusters stores in Tinley Park, Frankfort, Hickory Hills and Lansing are closing.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

The Blockbuster stores in Tinley Park, Hickory Hills, Lansing and Frankfort are closing as part of a new round of closings for the video chain since the retailer was acquired last summer by Dish Network Corp.

Area stores that will remain open – at least for now – include locations in Evergreen Park, Merrionette Park, Homer Glen and Lockport.

Dish, which acquired thousands of Blockbuster locations in July for $320 million, plans to add some kind of Dish customer service desk in the stores it keeps open.

Blockbuster rental kiosks are expected to be unaffected by the closings.

All four stores have begun going out of business sales. The Tinley, Hickory Hills and Lansing locations will close by Feb. 19 unless they run out of inventory before that. The Frankfort store is scheduled to close by March 18.

There are signs up saying the stores are moving, but that is a marketing ploy as the signs say the stores are moving online. A clerk at the Tinley store said it best, “We’re closing.”

Dickey’s Barbecue to Open Wednesday
Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, a Texas-style smokehouse, will open at 11 a.m. Wednesday at 15110 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park.

The first 100 customers on Wednesday will each receive a free pulled pork sandwich. or check out their Facebook page.

Pizza King Deal at Ed n Joe’s
In honor of owner Pizza King Michael Clark’s birthday, Ed n Joe’s, 17332 S. Oak Park Ave. in Tinley Park, will give customers 50 percent off of their first pizza on Tuesday, Jan. 17. The offer is good for lunch or dinner and is available for dine-in, take-out and delivery orders.

The restaurant also is holding a Facebook promotion from Jan. 17-29. Anyone who "likes" Dickey's will be entered into a drawing for a $100 gift card.

For more information, call 708-226-3090, fax 708-226-3091, visit http://www.dickeys.com/

Carm's Beef opened this week in Tinley Park.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Carm’s Beef, a new Italian restaurant with a rich history, has opened at 17801 S. Oak Park Ave. in Tinley Park.

The original Carm’s was opened in 1947 by owner Mick Nebren’s grandmother at Cicero Avenue and what would become the Eisenhower Expressway. A second store followed in Berwyn and then a store was located in Hillside for more than three decades.

“I left the restaurant business for a while to be a Realtor,” said Nebren. “But I decided it was time to bring back Carm’s Beef.”

The restaurant that also features pizza, hamburgers, Italian sausage, subs, deli sandwiches and all kinds of salads opened Jan. 9, said Nebren who owns Carm’s with his wife Judy. Both hail from Plainfield.

“If you remember my grandmother’s place, that’s the kind of food we’ll have,” said Nebren who added that lots of people have been calling to ask if the new place is related to grandma’s original Carm’s.

A special of the house will be 99-cent hotdogs every Saturday. No limit.

“We have a special blend of hotdogs served Chicago-style,” said Nebren.

Hours will be Monday to Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Nebren said a website and Facebook page are in the works.

For information, call 708-444-4272.

Grand Reopening for Velocity Sports
Velocity Sports Performance of Tinley Park will hold is grand reopening Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 7700 Graphics Drive.

The athletic training facility closed last fall when its original owners went bankrupt. New owners Mike and Cindy See stepped in and reopened late last year.

Special guest on Saturday will be former NFL star Chuck Thomas of the San Francisco 49ers who will visit with guests and sign autographs.

For information, call 708.444.3278 or visit their website at http://www.velocitysp.com/tinleypark.

Brown’s Chicken Closes in Orland
Brown’s Chicken served its last wings last week when the restaurant closed at 14450 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park.

A company spokeswoman told the Orland Park Patch that the restaurant lost its lease. “Right now, there are no plans to reopen Brown’s at that location,” said Jennifer Gordon.

The building and business had been listed for sale for $929,000 for months on various real estate and commercial property websites.

Payless Shoes Closing in Markham
The Payless ShoeSource store at 2959 W. 159th St. will close on Monday, though the store has almost depleted its inventory.

The store is one of 475 underperforming locations the retailer announced in August it would be closing.

A Payless store in Chicago Heights also is closing, and a store on Harlem Avenue in Orland Park closed some time ago.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Dunkin’ Donuts will open its 500th Chicago-area shop at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 14, at 3206 W. 111th St. in Chicago’s Mount Greenwood community.

As part of the celebration, the first 500 customers will get a Dunkin’ Donuts travel mug and a $2 gift card. The chain is also collecting food from 8 a.m. to noon for FeedChicago.org. Anyone who makes a cash or food donation will get a coupon good for a free doughnut. Dunkin’ Donuts will make a $2,000 presentation to the organization.

There also will be a raffle for a chance to win a $100 gift card, Bulls and Blackhawk tickets and a Pepsi bike and helmet.

On hand for the celebration starting at 11 a.m. will be Benny the Bull, the Luvabulls, Bulls broadcasters Bill Wennington and Chuck Swirsky, B96 personalities J, Julian and Showbiz Shelly and Ald. Matthew O’Shea.

The shop is owned by Sam Savani.

Game Time, Carmen’s Close in Palos Heights
Game Time Sports Grill & Pub closed recently at 6405 W. 127th St. in Palos Heights. The 5,400-square-foot building and business has been listed for sale for months at prices ranging from $3.1 million to $399,000.

Also closing recently in Palos Heights was Carmen’s Jazz Bistro at 7210 W. College Dr. The bistro’s website and Facebook page are still active but the phone number has been disconnected and the bistro is not included on the Palos Heights list of businesses.

There is a new business in town as a Cricket Wireless cell phone store opened recently at 7202 W. 119th St.

Shoes Walking Out of Chicago Heights
The Payless Shoe Source is holding a store closing sale at its 321 W. Lincoln Highway location in Chicago Heights. The company has already deleted the store from its website.

Beggars Opens in Bourbonnais
The newest Beggars Pizza opened this week at 165 S. Main St. in Bourbonnais. The restaurant features a dining room, delivery and free wi-fi.

Hours are Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight and Sundays from noon to 10 p.m.

The phone number is 815-937-9999.