Sunday, August 19, 2012
The executive director of Habitat for Humanity Chicago South Suburbs wants to use vacant properties on Joe Orr Road to do something special for the Heights.
Chicago Heights Fourth Ward Ald. Josh Deabel once called the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, located in the 100 block of Joe Orr Road, "the only hardware store we have." Deabel said this as he expressed concerns for what would happen to the store and the vacant strip mall properties surrounding it once the City of Chicago Heights took ownership of the building. It turns out Habitat for Humanity executive director David Tracy, who operates ReStore, is just as concerned. Tracy wants to have all the vacant storefronts surrounding his store turned into a multi-faceted community center, including a rooftop garden and a job training facility. There are still lots of questions to be answered, but several Patch readers have commented with positive …
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Ever need a hard-to-find part to finish a home-improvement project? The little guys at some local hardware stores will dig deep to help you find that part and pluck it from a drawer in Aisle 15. It's part of what they do best.
At Palos Ace Hardware, it is Aisle 15. And “it” is the secret of how some local hardware store owners compete against their big-box counterparts. The sign inviting customers into the aisle is headed by the words “nuts, washers, fasteners” and the space is considered a treasure trove for customers searching for parts to help them complete a furniture restoration project or an emergency plumbing repair job. The aisle is a destination place for do-it-yourselfers. “It’s probably one of the most concentrated number of items in our store per square foot,” said Dan Harris, the store owner at Palos Ace Hardware for the last 14 years. “It’s always those specialty parts—that one unique piece you need and you can’t find it anywhere else. It probably …
41.66101
-87.781421
ACE Hardware
6465 W 127th St, Palos Heights, IL
/articles/nuts-bolts-of-how-local-hardware-stores-compete-with-the-big-guys
273974
/locations/7602135
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
"I just don't want to see this building torn down," Ald. Josh Deabel said during the discussion at the May 7 Chicago Heights City Council meeting.
After months of legal discussion, the Chicago Heights City Council voted in favor of acquiring the strip small formerly housing Ace Hardware on Joe Orr Road. But one alderman is worried the City will tear the strip mall down and create another vacant lot. The property, located at 190 Joe Orr, was being maintained by the city and therefore had a lien against it. It also had hundreds of thousands of dollars in back-taxes piling up and is showing deterioration along the roof, according to Corporation Counsel T.J. Somer. The city's plan was to execute a deed in lieu of foreclosure, eliminate the back-taxes and repair the building. "The benefit of that is always, when we do these kinds of deals . . . is that we make it marketable again," Somer …
Friday, April 27, 2012
This property was a topic of debate months ago. What kind of business would you like to see here?
A strip mall in the 100 block of Joe Orr Road was a hot topic back in January, as the City of Chicago Heights was laying the groundwork to acquire the vacant properties and sell them as a group. Take a look at that story and see what Heights residents thought of the plan. No new developments have been announced regarding the properties, but the most notable one on the strip is the former Ebel's Ace Hardware located at 190 Joe Orr Road. The old Ace sign is still visable from the street and it's the biggest store in the strip. A drawback may be the property's positioning behind Burger King, but it's still not as tucked away as some of the more successful businesses in Matteson. So help us figure it out. What type of business should go here? …
John Groskopf
4:57 pm on Sunday, August 12, 2012
was there two weeks ago looking for fasteners for a piece of car trim. After about a 1/2 hour of the clerks time i left with what i thought would work. just finished attaching the trim piece today. thanks a bunch for all the help and ingenious idea to remedy my delema. very helpful staff more ›