Elmhurst Mariano's is Starting to Take Shape

What is the magic in the mix that has residents almost giddy over the new store opening?

From a quick glance at the comments on Mariano's Facebook page just in the past week, it's clear this grocer must be doing something right. Nearly 15,000 people follow Mariano's on Facebook, just eating up the many posts about new store openings, food and wine specialties, holiday delicacies and in-store classes and events. "I love your store!!! Have you looked at opening in Lindenhurst??? Would love, love it and I wouldn't have to drive to Vernon Hills," one commenter said on Monday. "Just discovered Mariano's—BEST STORE EVER," another said Sunday. Basically, "we need a Mariano's in _______, PLEASE," is the theme. Most Elmhurst residents also feel they have struck gold, with a store scheduled to open here this spring. Even when Patch …

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Ercie Berwick

11:16 pm on Wednesday, April 17, 2013

It depends on when you go, just like any other supermarket. The only difference is that at Aldi's they don't make you wait and wait and wait an eternity with dozens of people waiting to get checked out and only a couple of checkouts available, as is often the case at Jewel. Aldi's checkers are very highly trained, and they also have to check out the items of each customer in record time; I have …   more ›

Under the Tower

Paulette Delcourt: Shop and Save (Your Soul)

There's a sort of eldritch horror to big-box supercenters—heck, they pretty much admit it. Will any store step up and give us back that old personal shopping experience?

My daughter and I were in Walmart when she looked up at me and said, “Mom, I gotta get out of here. I can’t take any more.” We left with a cart full of items, unclear if any of them were what we went for.   Yes. The Walmart effect: In exchange for rollback prices, a piece of your soul. While we didn’t see any shoppers clad in leopard leggings, fishnet shirts or any other “inappro-pro” apparel, we weren’t there as cell phone camera wielding shopperazzi. We found ourselves in a few cart jams—odd scrums of jumbled wire, Chinese merchandise and zombiefied coupon clippers—an odd predicament given the cavernously expansive isles.  Despite the reputation, at least Walmart is consistent. I forgive Walmart’s fluorescence, carbon footprint, bulk …

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Paulette Delcourt

9:03 pm on Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Well it's nice and it's also very clean. You can see where all the food is produced--no mystery meat! And...they were all friendly in there.   more ›