Joel Powless does not let adversity get him down.
He lost his first business, J Powless Fine Cabinetry, more than a decade ago during an economic downturn.
He started a new company a few years ago and will celebrate the grand opening of his new showroom, WoodStreet Cabinets, from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at 9712 W. 191st St. in Mokena. “We’re right between Legends and Balagio.”
Powless, who lives in Frankfort, has been making cabinets for 33 years and, when needed, he is part of the Lutheran Early Response Team.
LERT, as it is called, is a Lutheran mission to aid those who have been hit by a disaster.
Powless is part of a crew that helps disaster victims with tree removal after a tornado or other disaster devastates an area.
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“We just came back from helping out in Kentucky,” he said. His crew went to Western Kentucky after a storm swept through the state on Dec. 10 causing damage to numerous towns and killing 58 people.
Powless said he travels across the country as needed as part of his Lutheran faith.
Now, he’s ready to introduce his cabinet business to the public at a grand opening. The ribbon cutting is set for 4:30 p.m.
“We have a 3,200-square-foot showroom,” he said.
WoodStreet specializes in kitchen remodeling, but can do anything. “We do dream kitchens, libraries and wine cellars,” Powless said.
His business employs about 15 people including his 28-year-old daughter as a designer. “We hire locally,” he said. There are six or seven people working in the production shop and another five or six who work in the showroom.
Middle Eastern restaurant opens first U.S. location in Orland
A Middle Eastern restaurant with roots in Palestine and Jordan and which dates back to the 1950s has opened its first location in the United States in Orland Park.
Hashem Restaurant, which has been operating in Jordan since 1956, has opened its first American location at 8600 W. 159th St., in the former Orland Park Wine & Spirits Store.
According to its Facebook page, the restaurant had a soft opening Jan. 17, which will last 30 days. A grand opening will be announced after the soft opening.
The restaurant has seating for 87 customers and takes up about 2,800 square feet.
The menu features Middle Eastern fare including hummus and falafel.
Last week for Killelea Jewelers
Killelea Jewelers in Midlothian is in the last week of its going out of business sale because owner Don Killelea is retiring.
The shop’s last day will be Jan. 31. Prices on the remaining inventory have been reduced 80%.
The store was established in 1939 by Killelea’s father, who had started out buying gold and silver door-to-door during the Great Depression.
He soon had two high-end jewelry stores in Chicago’s Loop.
In 1974, when his dad retired, Don took over the business right out of college and moved the store from the Loop to Midlothian at 14734 S. Cicero Ave.
Frontier Airlines lands at Midway Airport
A new low-fare carrier will start flying out of Midway Airport in April and to celebrate the airline will be offering fares as low as $29.
Denver-based Frontier Airlines, which has been flying out of O’Hare Airport, will begin service from Midway on April 28.
That’s when Frontier will begin offering daily flights out of Midway to Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, Ontario, California and Phoenix.
Service from Midway to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale will be added in October. All routes are subject to government approval.
The introductory fares are valid for nonstop travel on select days of the week, from April 28 to June 29. Fares to Orland and Fort Lauderdale are valid from Oct. 12 to Nov. 16. The airline is betting on increased air travel as the pandemic recedes.
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For Frontier, it’s a return to Midway. The carrier used to fly out of Midway until 2015, when the airline left the Southwest Side airport to consolidate its operations at O’Hare.
With the return of Frontier, the airlines flying out of Midway will include Southwest, Delta, Allegiant, Porter and Volaris.
Bob Bong is a freelance columnist. He can be reached at [email protected].