Crumbl Cookies to open Friday in Homewood
Derek and Michelle Hincks are about to grow their Crumbl Cookie business.
The couple will open their Homewood location at 17751 S. Halsted St. on Friday, Sept. 8, in the Park Place Plaza. They already own locations in Dyer in northwest Indiana in 2022 and in Tinley Park, which opened in January.
“My wife and I are excited to be able to bring a fun and uplifting environment that serves the best cookies in the world,” Derek said.
More Top Picks Best Turntables
The grand opening week menu will consist of six of the franchise’s 200+ weekly rotating flavors, including Crumbl’s award-winning Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunk. Weekly menu lineups are posted every Sunday night on all of Crumbl’s social media accounts.
Customers can order in person during the first five business days of the grand opening. Starting Sept. 13, delivery, curbside pickup, catering, and nationwide shipping will be available via the Crumbl App or online at crumblcookies.com.
The Homewood store will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to noon on Fridays and Saturdays.
Mitchell’s Flowers to mark 50 years in Orland Park
Mitchell’s Orland Park Flowers will celebrate its 50th anniversary later this month, but the flower shop’s roots date back much farther.
The shop at 14309 S. Beacon Ave. will celebrate its anniversary on Sept. 30.
Mitchell said the Orland Park location is one of the longest-tenured retail businesses in the village and the shop has grown along with the town, which has changed from a sleepy train stop to a booming suburb.
“We’ll invite some old staff, but the anniversary will be an open house and everybody is invited,” said David Mitchell, whose grandfather and his brother set the family on the flower shop path in 1916 when they opened Southtown Flowers in the Park Manor neighborhood of Chicago.
The family business survived Prohibition, the Great Depression and two world wars.
Mitchell’s dad, George, and his uncle Ted decided to expand the business to Orland Park because many of their customers were moving to the southwest suburbs.
They found an older home on Beacon Hill and decided to transform the charming farmhouse into a flower shop.
A few months of hard work later, their idea was a reality, and Mitchell’s Orland Park Flowers opened in September of 1973.
Ted and George focused on their strengths. Ted ran the garden center and George operated the design room.
George’s mother-in-law, Pat Nielsen, would run the Orland Park shop in the morning while George took care of the shop in the city. He would drive out to Orland Park where he would work the afternoon and evenings. After a few years of commuting, George and Ted split the business and George with his wife Nancy became sole owners of the Orland Park location.
By the mid-1980s, the Orland Park shop was not large enough to support the ever-growing business. A large design center and cooler were added to the original structure to double the size of the building.
A spacious loft was created above the design room that became a year-round Christmas shop run by Nancy. The Christmas shop had 15 Christmas trees all filled with keepsake ornaments from around the world.
That space is now utilized as a wedding and event consultation lounge.
Mitchell’s typically designs florals for over 100 special events, including weddings, showers, funerals and memorials throughout the year.
Mitchell said his mom likes to say the shop is here “for every reason and every season.”
The shop has always been a family affair. Dave Mitchell, grew up in Palos Heights, and is president and runs day-to-day operations. His brother, Dan, manages the floral design center. Their sister, Patty, helps with weddings and special events.
Dave’s wife, Megan, manages their second location in Hinsdale.
George’s granddaughters Jenna and Samantha get into the act and help out on weekends and holidays.
“Dad is 85 years old and he comes in when he wants to. He’s in most every day,” Mitchell said.
His mom retired from the shop in 2020 but is busy with volunteer work and community service efforts.
More Top Picks Downspouts
“She works with the Palos Park and Palos Heights Woman’s Clubs,” he said. “She helps fundraise for McCord House and the Crisis Center, which she helped found.
“The Mitchell family is proud of the 50 years we have served our Orland Park community and we thank our loyal customers in return for their support and their business,” Mitchell said. “We hope that we will be able to continue that service for many years to come.”
Summit approves auto repair businesses
Summit village officials last week approved two business licenses for auto repair shops.
One was approved for 55 Interstate Auto Repair, located at 5418 S. Harlem Avenue. This was the former longtime home of Solid Auto.
The other license was approved for 4MG Automotive, located at 6350 S. 73rd Avenue. This will be an auto body collision repair shop.
Bob Bong is a freelance columnist. He can be reached at [email protected].