Business Comings & Goings: BP Station, Store, Car Wash Planned for Tinley Park

In case you haven’t noticed, work has begun on the former Clark gas station at 159th Street and 80th Avenue in Tinley Park.

The corner has been fenced off and the building and pumps have been removed as site preparation has begun on a BP gas station that will also have a convenience store and a car wash in the back of the store.

The site plan has been approved, said Assistant Village Manager Michael Mertens.

Calls to property owner George Zervos were not returned.

Pita Wrapped

The restaurant and an adjoining Verizon store closed recently in a strip mall at 6905 W. 159th St. in Tinley Park.

Chamber Doings

Join the at its Holiday Party at 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 5, at , 14459 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park. There will be complimentary hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar. Entertainment will be provided by Afterglow featuring Gene Infelise and Francesca. Please bring non-perishable food items or new unwrapped toys to help the Orland Food Pantry provide for local families. Monetary donations are also welcome. RSVP to 708-349-2972 or online at http://www.orlandparkchamber.org.

The chamber also is holding a Holiday Open House at 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1, at McCord Gallery and Cultural Center, 9602 Creek Road in Palos Park. The seventh annual Holiday Shoppe will feature unique, handcrafted articles from some of the finest artists and craftsmen in this area. You will be able to choose from pottery, jewelry, fused glass, toys, scarves, wooden boxes, ornaments and much, much more. A portion of your purchases are tax deductible. RSVP to 708-349-2972 or online at http://www.orlandparkchamber.org.

Chamber members are also invited to a Business After Hours at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29, at , 15555 S. 71st St. in Orland Park. RSVP to 708-349-2972 or online at http://www.orlandparkchamber.org.

Santa to Visit Doctors

Santa will be seeing the doctors at The Center for Integrated Medicine, 9442 W. 179th St. in Tinley Park, on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 9 a.m. to noon in Tinley Park.  While there, kids will have an opportunity to give him their Wish List and have a free picture taken. Drs. Dino and Marie Pappas will be welcoming everyone to their new facility and providing free soft tissue manipulations for moms and dads. For information, call 708-532-CFIM or visit online at www.thecfim.com.

Rudolph to Rock at Rock Bottom

The and are teaming up again to help families and organizations this holiday season. Through Dec. 14, Rock Bottom's house red ale will be renamed Rudolph the Prairie Red with 25 cents of each glass ordered going to a fund to purchase presents for families in Orland Township's Holiday Program 2011. 

The public also is invited to a Rudolph the Prairie Red Party from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30, at Rock Bottom, 16156 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park. Anyone who brings a new, unwrapped toy (donated to Toy Box Connection's Operation Homefront Illinois project) or three canned food items (donated to the Orland Township Food Pantry) will receive a free glass of Rudolph the Prairie Red.

Commemorative $5 glasses will also be available, with the majority of the proceeds benefiting a fund to purchase presents for Orland Township families participating in the Orland Township's Holiday Program 2011.

A special appetizer created by Chef Jose Torres will also be available for purchase.

For information, call 708-226-0021 or 708-326-9170.

Tinley Holiday Market

The annual Tinley Park Holiday Market will be held Dec. 2-4 at Zabrocki Plaza and the . For a complete list of events, including parades and visits by Santa, go online to www.tinleypark.org.

Open House

Open MRI & Imaging Center, 18660 Graphic Dr. in Tinley Park, will hold its ribbon cutting and open house from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1. RSVP by today to 708-381-5422.

If you see a new business in town or wonder what happened to an old favorite, drop me a line at bob@chicago-patch.com.

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