PetSmart plans to open a big-box store in Valparaiso soon.
The national pet retailer is taking over the former Pier One and AT&T Store spaces next to Barnes & Noble in the Valparaiso Marketplace shopping center. It will combine both vacant storefronts into a bigger, 12,000-square-foot space.
Petsmart, a chain that has locations in Schererville, Hobart and Michigan City, is renovating the retail space at 150 Silhavey Road in Valpo. It's building a loading dock, adding drainage and remodeling the facade, including by switching out the window frames, according to plans filed with the city of Valparaiso.
Phoenix, Arizona-based PetSmart operates more than 1,600 stores across North America. Founded in 1986, it sells pet supplies, dog and cat food, treats, pet accessories and small pets like birds, hamsters and rabbits. It also offers a variety of pet services like adoption, pet boarding, grooming, training classes, dog daycare and third-party pet hospitals at some locations.
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David Holzem with Wispo Investors told the Valparaiso Site Review Committee the big-box store in Valparaiso will not have any veterinarians on staff.
The main competitor of Petco, PetSmart carries scores of leading brands for dogs, cats, birds, fish, reptiles, gerbils and other pets. It stocks everything from collars, crates and flea and tick treatments to dental treats, rawhides, bowls and beds.
It will be located in the outdoor Valparaiso Marketplace shopping mall at Ind. 49 and LaPorte Avenue along with many other big-box retailers, including Target, Home Depot, Kohl's as well as smaller retailers like Shoe Carnival, Hair Cuttery, Maurice's and Pet Supplies Plus.
Valparaiso Marketplace lies next to the outdoor Valparaiso Walk shopping mall that's home to Menard's, Best Buy, Marshalls, Michael's and Bed, Bath & Beyond and across the highway from the Porters Vale Shopping Center.
NWI Business Ins and Outs: Crown Point Burger King reopens this month; Buffalo Wild Wings closes, SerenDIPity Ice Cream Parlor; Lucky Hatchet and Sunset Grille opening
Reopening soon
You will soon again be able to have a flame-grilled Whopper your way.
The Burger King in Crown Point will at long last reopen its doors this month. The fast-food restaurant at 1137 N. Main St. just north of downtown closed nearly two years ago after a fire. It's now hiring as it ramps up to reopen.
Manager Denise Marie said it should finally come back in a few weeks.
'Middle of June'
"We are optimistic middle of June," she said. "Possibly sooner."
A fire broke out in the early morning hours in October 2020. The Burger King has been shuttered since then and has been one of the most inquired about businesses in the history of this retail column. Construction work was long-delayed but Burger King has done extensive renovation work to the restaurant building, including a new exterior and signage that's both more modern and a throwback.
Closed since fire in Oct. 2020
A grand opening ceremony is planned, Marie said.
Burger King, the perennial Pepsi to McDonald's Coke, the Avis to its Hertz, has burgers, fries... you already know this.
Closed
Buffalo Wilds Wings closed in Michigan City.
The chain sit-down restaurant at 5000 Franklin St. by the Meijer superstore served chicken wings with a wide variety of sauces and seasonings in a sports bar environment.
Multiple locations remain
The chain has multiple other Region locations, including Merrillville, Portage, Hammond, Schererville, LaPorte, Crown Point, Valparaiso, Lansing and Calumet City.
Coming soon
After a long delay, SerenDIPity is going to bring something sweet to downtown Griffith.
Shari Nowatzke and Andres Hernandez have been working to open the ice cream parlor and doughnut shop at 120 N. Griffith Boulevard since signing a lease to take over a former hair salon last July. Nowatzke, a former Baskin Robbins employee whose friends own Bubbles Ice Cream Parlor in Michigan City, has always wanted to have an ice cream shop of her own.
"It's always been a dream of mine to own an ice cream store," she said. "Ice cream makes everything better. I don't even eat it that much. It's just a fun environment to work at."
SerenDIPity will serve Hershey's ice cream, both soft-serve and hard dip. It will have chocolate, vanilla and swirl soft serves and 24 varieties of hard dip like Blue Moon, Superman, Cookies and Cream, Rainbow Sherbet and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.
SeredDIPity also will have Dole Pineapple Whip.
"My friends in Michigan City sell a ton of it," she said. "It's nostalgic because Disney has it. The state fair has it."
Customizable doughnuts
Customers also can order cake doughnuts, which are customizable. They can pick the frosting, topping and drizzling. Eventually, SerenDIPity plans to offer concessions like burgers, dogs, Polish sausages and walking tacos. It also will have paninis, Pepsi products and ice cream floats.
The 1,400-square-foot store seats 25 people and will have an icre cream-themed bench and picnic table out back. It also has a life-sized camel statute as its mascot.
"The co-owner Andre works the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater where someone left a camel backstage," she said. "It was there for a few years and then they asked him if he wanted it. He took it as kind of a joke, driving a life-sized camel on a trailer. We knew we had to make it part of the store. We came up with a whimsical name. I've always loved the word serendipity. So we named the camel Mr. Dipity. We have a few items named after him, including a sundae that uses a cut-in-half donut instead of a banana. We call our little pup cup the Snoop Dipity Dog."
They decided to open in Griffith because they liked the town and all the growth downtown.
"We saw an empty corner spot," she said. "We love Griffith. I live three miles from Griffith. It's such a great community, one that patronizes locally owned places. That's not even mentioning all the festivals and markets."
'Who doesn't like ice cream?'
It's a family-run business where several family members work. It will employ around 20 overall.
The owners plan to focus on a single location but plan to eventually roll out a food truck.
"Who doesn't like ice cream, right?" she said. "We designed it to have a very whimsical feel. It's a fun place to bring kids they can take pictures with Mr. Dipity."
SerenDIPity will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
For more information, call 219-237-2372 or find SerenDIPity on Facebook.
Coming soon
The Lucky Hatchet in Michigan City has added a retro arcade section and expanded to a second location in Granger.
The ax-throwing and entertainment venue opened a few years ago at 2050 E. U.S. 20 in Michigan City. It recently added vintage arcade consoles like Ms. Pac Man, Donkey Kong and X-Men Vs. Street Fighter. It also added a large gaming section with board games like Settlers of Catan.
"These are our loves. We're big nerds," said Brandon Rector, one of the owners.
The business has boomed since opening about a half year before the coronavirus pandemic struck.
"It's an evening of super cheap fun and good times," he said.
Retro arcade games
The Lucky Hatchet is now opening a second location in a 4,600-square-foot space in a shopping center where TopGolf was located. It will offer hatchet, throwing, old-school video games and classic board games.
“We wanted to bring something for everyone to Granger Our gaming section will have arcade games like Pac-Man and The Simpsons as well as some of the old school Nintendo, Sega and GameCube games," said Jonah Stromer, one of the owners.
The second location will also include a full restaurant and a bar serving craft burgers, appetizers and beer. It's bigger and more immersive.
“We will have 13 total hatchet-throwing lanes that people can come and rent where everything is provided to them and throwing instructions are given in detail. We will have leagues running throughout the year as well as tournaments and our glow throw night is a can't-miss event that we do once a month," said Michael Domkowski, one of the owners.
It's now hiring for the Granger location. A grand opening is slated for June 10.
For more information, visit TheLuckyHatchet.com or TheLuckyHatchet@Gmail.com.
Open for the season
The Sunset Grille reopened for the season on the Washington Park beach in Michigan City.
It has a concession stand for beachgoers on the first floor and a rooftop bar overlooking Lake Michigan on the second floor. The menu includes burgers, hot dogs, Italian beef and ham and cheese sandwiches.
"It’s going to be the hottest place to be this summer," Manager Peter Djuvik said. "The sunsets are incredible."
Open through Labor Day
The Sunset Grill invested in improvements over the summer, including decorative wind sails and more lighting. It has a full bar with local craft beers like Zorn and Burn 'Em. It has live music on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
"It's one of the few places to eat on the beach," he said. "People just come to chill and relax and enjoy the sunsets. The view is beautiful. It's stunning. It's the best in the Region."
It's open 4-11 p.m. daily through Labor Day.
If you would like your business to be included in a future column, email joseph.pete@nwi.com.
Joseph S. Pete
Business Reporter
Joseph S. Pete is a Lisagor Award-winning business reporter who covers steel, industry, unions, the ports, retail, banking and more. The Indiana University grad has been with The Times since 2013 and blogs about craft beer, culture and the military.
