"The market's changed. There aren't a whole lot of people that are antiquing anymore, so is there really a need for those anymore?"
Trustee John Lawler said that at a Village Board workshop this spring. The board was discussing the Old Orland Historic District, the small grid of streets around Beacon Avenue and 143rd Street near the Metra station. He framed it as a choice: "Do we continue on the historic path or do we abandon that and look at newer developments?"
Old Orland's shops have been answering it on their own this summer. Two of the district's independent businesses changed what their Old Orland space is used for between late June and mid-July. In both cases the space moved away from shelves of goods and toward a place to sit, gather, or hold an event. That is close to what the Village's own planners say the district should become. The businesses got there first.
A Marketplace Added a Scoop Counter and Put the Patio to Work
Peace Marketplace at 14314 Beacon Ave. has sold gifts, home décor and specialty food under owners Kevin and Jane Callozzo for more than seven years. On June 27 it opened Peace Parlor inside the store, adding an ice cream counter, coffee and nostalgic candy.
Barb Dvorak, a Peace Marketplace employee and Orland Park resident, explained the reason plainly when The Regional News covered the opening. "We were looking for a way to utilize our outdoor patio and do something fun for the neighborhood," she said.
That quote matters here. A gift shop earns money when someone picks up a candle and pays for it. An ice cream counter with a patio gives people a reason to stay a while, and it gives a family a reason to walk over on a weeknight with nothing on their shopping list.
The counter serves 16 flavors of Cedar Crest Ice Cream. According to employee Abby Quinn, Pirate's Bounty was the early favorite. It's caramel ice cream with M&M's and crushed chocolate sandwich cookies. Caramel Collision and Mackinac Island Fudge were close behind. The counter also stocks classic bottled sodas and old-fashioned candy.
Check hours before you go. At opening, the parlor listed noon to 9 p.m. daily. A late-August post from the shop said "Open 1-8 Daily," and a mid-September post announced a single Thursday open until 9. That suggests the schedule is shifting as the season changes.
A Gift Shop Moved Its Retail and Kept Its Old Orland Room for Gatherings
The Holly House started in Old Orland about two years ago. Becky Frontera began making baby items, and her daughter Samantha Frontera joined her to open a shared shop where local artisans could sell handmade gifts. According to Patch, they now carry work from more than 27 local artisans across their shops, including one in Lincoln Park that opened early this year.
On July 18, The Holly House opened a new Orland Park storefront at 8104 W. 143rd St. in Wedgewood Commons. Retail shoppers now go there. The shop's posted hours are Monday and Friday 10 to 5, Tuesday and Thursday noon to 5, and Saturday 10 to 3. It's closed Wednesday and Sunday.
The original Old Orland shop stayed open with a different job. Patch reported it now operates as an event space for book clubs, birthday parties, baby showers and crafting classes. The shop's website lists that space at 9959 W. 143rd St. and marks it as event space and crafting only, with no store.
Put that next to Peace Parlor and a pattern shows up. Within about three weeks, two Old Orland storefronts each gave more of their square footage to people spending time and less to people browsing products. Neither owner said they were responding to the Village's planning debate. They were running their businesses. The effect on the street is the same either way.
The Anchors That Were Already There
Some of Old Orland hasn't needed to change. Mitchell's, a family-owned florist at 14309 Beacon Ave., reached 50 years in Orland Park in 2023, according to The Regional News. Its website currently lists fall arrangements and weekday and Saturday hours.
The district's history also runs more on appointments than on walk-in traffic, which fits the direction the shops are taking.
- Senator John Humphrey House, 9830 W. 144th Place. The house dates to 1881, and The Regional News calls it the second-oldest house in Orland Park. It is furnished with the family's belongings and has been Village property since 2021. Tours are free on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., by appointment only. Book through Heritage Sites Supervisor Libby Paulson at 708-403-6268 or [email protected]. Humphrey served as Orland Park's first Village President when the village incorporated in 1892.
- Twin Towers Chapel, 9967 W. 144th St. The historic chapel is privately managed. Tours are arranged through its caretaker at 708-268-9235, and the chapel does not post regular visiting hours.
- Old Orland guided tours. The Village's Heritage Sites team offers one-hour group tours of the historic district. The price is $30 for up to 15 people and $3 for each additional person.
The district exists because of the railroad. Passenger service reached Orland on August 8, 1880, with a local train that stopped here every weekday morning on its way from Decatur to Chicago. The 143rd Street Metra station still sits at 143rd and Southwest Highway.
What the Village Plan Says It Wants
Orland Park is working with the planning firm Houseal Lavigne on a sub-area plan that splits the village into four focus zones. Old Orland is one of them. The others are the Gateway to LaGrange District, the Harlem Avenue Corridor and the I-80 Employment Corridor.
The Regional News described the Old Orland piece as a 143rd Street transit-oriented district. It would build on the Metra station with walkable development that mixes commuter parking, upscale lofts and ground-floor cafes, while keeping the district's historic character. At a community open house at the Orland Park Civic Center at the end of June, the Old Orland focus was described as revitalizing landmarks such as the Humphrey House while keeping strict neighborhood design standards.
Ground-floor cafés are the plan's picture of the district's future. A coffee counter and patio opened on Beacon Avenue in June, about a month after the workshop where Lawler raised his question. An Old Orland storefront that used to sell merchandise now hosts book clubs and baby showers. On a small scale, the district is already starting to look like what the plan describes.
None of this is final. The Village's planning portal describes the project as in progress and invites comments through a questionnaire and a comment map. A draft plan is expected to go to the board next summer. Whether aging historic buildings are preserved or replaced is still open, and Lawler raised exactly that point in May. Residents who spend time on Beacon Avenue can weigh in through the portal at orlandparksubareas-vop.hub.arcgis.com.
A Deadline on October 3
The Village's America 250 History Hike runs through October 3. Pick up a worksheet at the Orland Park Public Library or the Sportsplex. There's one version for grade 7 and under and another for grade 8 and up. Visit the business listed next to each question, find its poster, and collect a sticker or code. Turn in all 12 answers by noon on Saturday, October 3, for a chance at the grand-prize drawing.
Several stops are in or near Old Orland: Peace Marketplace, Mitchell's, the John Humphrey House, and The Holly House at its new 143rd Street address. Humphrey House visits need an appointment, so call ahead if you plan to go inside.
If you can't finish before October 3, the Village Hall lobby cases have a third-quarter exhibit called "Orland 250." It traces local history from the Potawatomi to the creation of Centennial Park West. Civil War Days, the sixth annual living-history event, takes place October 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Stellwagen Farm, 17701 108th Ave. That's outside the historic district.
If you own a home near 143rd Street, the Old Orland sub-area plan could shape what gets built on your block over the next several years. Aaron Gaines follows these Village Board discussions and can explain what the draft means for your property once it's published. When you want a clear number to start from, request your free home valuation.
