The landmark Pickwick Theatre building lost a longtime staple this week with the closing of Pickwick Tailoring, a business that opened more than three decades ago in downtown Park Ridge.
Owner Frank Pappas permanently closed the doors of his at shop at 5 S. Prospect Ave. on Dec. 29.
Pappas declined a request to talk about why he closed, but he likely decided to retire, according to Dino Vlahakis, owner of the Pickwick building.
“Frank said he was getting older and he decided it was time to retire,” Vlahakis said.
Transportation factoring company Saint John Capital will take over the lease next year when it expands its office next door at 3 S. Prospect Ave., Vlahakis said.
“(Saint John Capital) has about 20 employees in the building and they needed more space,” he said.
Ruling out a rent increase as a possible reason for Pappas leaving, Vlahakis said he hasn’t raised the rent on the storefront space for several years, and that Pappas paid his rent on a “month-to-month handshake deal.”
Longtime customer of Pickwick Tailoring Rob Ramoska said in an email that he became friends with the tailor over the years and described Pappas as having a “heart of gold.”
“It’s sad to see a longtime business and the fabric of our community vanish,” Ramoska said. ‘He watched many Park Ridge residents literally grow up to become adults.”
