A look back at Northwest Indiana businesses that closed in 2023
A look back at Region businesses that closed in 2023
(21) updates to this series since
Beer Geeks, one of the Region's first, most beloved and most influential craft beer bars, closed after more than a decade and is being reimagined as a new concept.
The landmark 88-year-old castle-shaped White Castle in Whiting is coming down to be replaced with a newer, larger, more modern White Castle restaurant.
A longtime staple in downtown Crown Point poured its last drink.
The longtime Westforth Sports gun shop is closing.
The Silver Line Building Products plant at 16801 Exchange Ave. will be shuttered permanently.
Brewfest in Highland will close in what's been called "an end of an era."
David's Bridal filed for bankruptcy and could close all stores if no buyer emerges to save it.
The 88-year-old Whiting White Castle will be remembered with displays at museums in two different states.
For years, the "millionaire's club" met every morning in the corner booth of the historic 88-year-old White Castle at Indianapolis Boulevard and 119th Street in downtown Whiting. The landmark restaurant served its final slider Tuesday.
One of Northwest Indiana's most popular and enduring hobby shops is looking for a buyer after the longtime owner died.
J&L This N That Consignment Shop, a popular thrift store, closed in downtown Whiting after a run of several years.
A Calumet Region institution, Calumet Fisheries on the far South Side of Chicago, is temporarily closed after failing a city health inspection.
Just days after reopening after city health inspectors shut it down, Calumet Fisheries suffered a major fire.
Pepe's Mexican Restaurant is no mas in Valparaiso.
Beer Geeks in Highland rebranded as B-Side Bar & Lounge and then closed within a few months.
Troubled retailer Bed Bath and Beyond will permanently close its Valparaiso location as it shutters more stores nationwide as it looks to restructure and shrink its footprint to save the struggling business.
Peoples Bank has shuttered its branch in downtown Hammond.
Viking Artisan Ales will soon pour its last craft beer at its Merrillville taproom.
Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom is closing after 15 years at one of Northwest Indiana's most prominent highway interchanges.
Walmart is closing its big-box store in Homewood.
The Chicago Auto Show, the nation's largest auto show, returns to McCormick Place Saturday, running through Feb. 19.
Joseph S. Pete
Business Reporter
Beer Geeks craft beer bar closes, to rebrand as B-Side Bar & Lounge
Beer Geeks pub in Highland has closed and is rebranding as B-Side Bar & Lounge.
Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves is casting doubt on whether U.S. Steel's sale to Nippon Steel will close given the regulatory hurdles and political opposition it faces.
BP is nearing competing of shutting down the BP Whiting Refinery after a power outage disrupted operations there Thursday.
Whiting became the first municipality to be inducted into White Castle Hall of Fame.
U.S. Steel met with the United Steelworkers union over its grievance filings over its proposed $14.9 billion sale to Japan-based Nippon Steel.
"At no time has Northwest Indiana had so much speculative Industrial property delivered to the market in this short of a period," Latitude Commercial President and Co-Founder Aaron McDemott said.
A local franchisee plans to open School of Rock locations in Munster, St. John and Gary, across from the Hard Rock Casino.
The celebrated muralist Felix "Flex" Maldonado paid homage to the 1971 Washington High School teams many consider to be one of the greatest in state history on a 6-foot-tall fiberglass basketball that will be displayed in downtown Indy for the NBA All-Star Game.
The Chicago Assembly Plant will start making the new Lincoln Aviator sport utility vehicle, which includes many new features.
After an absence of more than a decade, Barnes & Noble is returning to Lake County.
New stores are coming to the Southlake Mall, the Region's largest mall.
Come Valentine's Day, the air will again be filled with romance and the redolent aroma of grilled onions and tiny square burgers people buy by the sack.
The Northwest Indiana Civil War Roundtable is hosting a series of free lectures over the next few months.
A Black History Month Exhibit is now on display at the LaPorte County Historical Society Museum.
BP turned a profit of $13.8 billion last year, down from a record $27.7 billion the previous year.
BP named a new chief financial officer.
Ford posted a loss of $536 million in the fourth quarter but still made a profit of $4.3 billion last year.
Bishop Joseph Perry will discuss the legacy of Fr. Augustus Tolton Sunday in Calumet City.
The LaPorte County Symphony Orchestra will play a concert this weekend.
The U.S. Environmental Protection has toughened standards for soot pollution in a move that aims to crack down on industry, clean up the air and increase public health.
1st Source Bank turned a record profit for the third year in a row.
Lear grew sales by 12% to a record $23.5 billion last year, up from $20.9 billion in 2022 despite the auto workers strike that disrupted demand for more than six weeks last year.
Indiana ranked as one of the least healthy states in the country, according to Forbes Advisor.
Northwest Health added a second physician residency, launching a new internal medicine residency program.
After coming off a ventilator, a Cedar Lake resident went to train with the ZeroG Gait and Balance System at Community Healthcare System’s Community Stroke & Rehabilitation Center in Crown Point.
Franciscan Health Olympia Fields was recognized for excellence in antimicrobial use.
The Franciscan Health Michigan City Hospital is accepting scholarship applications from students seeking to pursue medical careers.
The Barker Welfare Foundation donated a Michigan City Chamber of Commerce to Annie Gustin, who recently took over the Lakeshore Cafe.
Shipments from steel mills in the United States, where about half the integrated steelmaking capacity is concentrated in Northwest Indiana, totaled 89.3 million tons in 2023.
Peoples Bank Chairman and CEO Benjamin Bochnowski is chairing the Indiana Bankers Association Board of Directors.
The Michigan City Chamber of Commerce named a new interim president after Katie Eaton left to work for NIPSCO.
The National Retail Federation estimates consumers will spend a record $17.3 billion on food, drinks, apparel, decorations and other purchases this Super Bowl Sunday.
A vendor open house will showcase business opportunities at a new South Shore Line station and transit-oriented development in Michigan City.
Energy Diagnostics in Valparaiso was named a certified Great Place to Work.
Police are investing a fatal shooting that took place on Sherman Street in Hammond.
New owners took over the former Brumm's Bloomin' Barn in Highland and plan to rebrand it as Willow Blooms.
The new 2025 Explorer Ford is making at the Chicago Assembly Plant on the far South Side is now on display at the Chicago Auto Show.
The Lake County Master Gardeners Association will host a program on “Attracting Birds to Your Garden."
Everyone's on the dance floor is going to be family when Sister Sledge comes to Four Winds New Buffalo this spring.
The Gary Air Show, typically one of the Region's largest events, will soar again over Lake Michigan in August.
Spending on significant others this Valentine’s Day is poised to hit a record $14.2 billion this year, according to the National Retail Federation. Northwest Indiana florists say it's their second busiest day of the year, trailing only Mother's Day.
The legendary R&B group Boyz II Men will play Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana.
NIPSCO is upgrading its electrical system in Winfield this week.
The BP Whiting Refinery, the largest refinery in the Midwest, suffered a power outage and two leaks just as its state air permit was coming up…
South Shore Arts will host an artist panel this weekend on the exhibit "Neighbors" that's now on display in its Main Gallery in Munster.
The Art Barn School of Art is soliciting submissions for its 30th Juried Exhibit.
Northwest Indiana's music and wrestling scenes are mourning the loss of Justin "Juice" Wallace, a 41-year-old Hobart resident who was killed in a car accident. "He was a high-energy local guy from Hobart with big dreams, a loud voice and super high energy."
Indiana led the nation in steel production again last year, making nearly a fourth of America's steel on its own.
The United Steelworkers has taken its campaign against a Nippon acquisition of U.S. Steel to the White House, sharing concerns about national security and whether the new owner would enforce its contract.
ArcelorMittal made $2.3 billion in profit last year despite a loss fourth-quarter loss of $1.8 billion that followed the divestment of two of …
Indiana produced more than $18 billion in agricultural products last year. The Census of Agriculture found Indiana ranked as the No. 1 producer of popcorn, gourds and duck.
The Northwest Indiana Mason Contractors Association is bringing an internationally accredited contractor education program to Northwest Indiana. It aims to upskill local architectural, engineering, construction and masonry professionals.
When the 49'er Drive-In Theatre at 675 N Calumet Ave in Valparaiso reopens for the season near the end of April or in early May, it will accept credit cards for the first time in its history.
HealthLinc landed a $75,000 grant from the Health Foundation of LaPorte
The Health Foundation of LaPorte is now accepting grant applications for lifesaving automated external defibrillators or AEDs.
Edgewater Health plans to mark its 50th anniversary.
Valparaiso-based HealthLinc plans to host Give Kids a Smile events throughout the Region.
Startups, entrepreneurs and dreamers will get a chance to launch their business concepts at Purdue University Northwest's upcoming Big Sell entrepreneurial pitch content
The Madison, Wisconsin-based video game studio Lost Boys Interactive is laying off 125 workers around the country, including one in Merrillville.
The attorney general of Colorado filed a lawsuit after a yearlong investigation to block Kroger's $24.6 billion sale to Albertsons, the parent company of Jewel-Osco.
Cleveland-Cliffs is indefinitely idling its tinplate plant in Weirton, West Virginia after the International Trade Commission declined to impose tariffs.
The Urban League of Northwest Indiana started a free entrepreneurship program to help aspiring business owners.
Longtime Munster Town Manager Dustin Anderson stepped down after a new town council was elected.
Los Lonely Boys will play Four Winds New Buffalo’s Silver Creek Event Center just across the state line.
The Towle Theater will soon open its 21st season with the musical "The Story of My Life."
NWI Business Ins and Outs: Honey Bee Pancake House, Bento Bowls, Burn 'Em Brewing and Piper and the Plant opening; Popeye's closes
Purdue University Northwest's Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation landed a $7.1 million grant through the U.S. Department of Energy to research how to decarbonize the steel industry.
The total cost of the hydrogen hub coming to Whiting is expected to be around $6 billion to $9 billion, between federal and private-sector investment, Congressman Frank Mrvan said. The massive mega-project will employ more than 16,000 construction workers for years.
Comedian Jim Gaffigan, a Region native who grew up in Chesterton, praised Valparaiso's new Journeyman Distillery on social media in a widely c…
An Illinois State Police car was hit by a driver while the trooper was pulled over to help the victims of another crash.
A driver crashed into wall median wall of the Borman Expressway after being shot on Interstate 80/94.
The U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards reached a new agreement on icebreaking to allow for Great Lakes shipping, which brings international commerce to Northwest Indiana and iron ore to Region steel mills when the Great Lakes are frozen over.
Kevin Pazour has been appointed to a new term as Porter County historian.
After 80 years, a Northwest Indiana officer who died in the line of duty received the recognition he was due thanks to historical research and an old newspaper article.
The United Auto Workers union has filed strike notice at Ford's largest plant, the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, over local issues.
Businesses, governments and nonprofits can apply for a share of $4.5 million in the final round of Volkswagen grants.
Beer and vino will flow freely in downtown Chesterton next month.
Two of the Region's largest health care providers, Community Healthcare System and Franciscan Health, are dropping some insurance plans, potentially affecting thousands of patients across the Region.
Michigan City's newly elected mayor Angie Nelson Deuitch will address the Gary Chamber of Commerce at its annual meeting next month.
"We want to open their eyes when they're younger, when they're not set on becoming a certain thing in their careers. We thought doing that at a younger age would help inspire them, will help leverage that growth mindset that they can be anything they want to be."
A new exhibit at the Porter County Museum recalls the fire that swept downtown Valparaiso in 1926.
"Blackmas Carol," a modern spin on Charles Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol," will pay a visit to the Indiana Welcome Center in Hammond this weekend.
"Late Nite Catechism," one of the longest-running shows in both Chicago and U.S. theater history is coming to Hobart.
Burn 'Em Brewing opening newly built brewery at more high-profile site in Michigan City this weekend
After almost a year of construction and nearly a decade at its old place, Burn 'Em Brewery is about to toast its newly built location at a more high-profile spot in Michigan City.
Kankakee Valley REMC and Surf Internet plan to host a high-speed internet advocacy workshop for the public in LaPorte County.
The Uthiverse StartUp Madness Business Pitch Tournament will give young entrepreneurs in high school the chance to win startup capital for their business idea.
The American Association of University Women plans to host a lunch honoring women township trustees in Porter County and Unhappy Hour to mark Equal Pay Day next month.
Portage native David Hinojosa is up for an Academy Award. He produced "Past Lives," which was nominated for Oscars for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. He's produced many highly acclaimed indie movies like "First Reformed," "Beatriz at Dinner" and "Bodies Bodies Bodies."
Emily Nelson will take the helm as the new executive director of the Towle Theatre.
"If you are 65 or over, curious to find out if you can draw and even paint in watercolor, this class is for you."
Indiana American Water got approval from the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to raise water rates after an 11-month review.
Domino's Pizza is giving the city of Gary $25,000 to pay for snow plowing this winter.
Franciscan Health moved its WorkingWell clinic in Chicago Heights to a new location.
A HealthyU seminar at Northwest Health next month will cover colon cancer and why it's becoming more prevalent among adults.
Franciscan Health Dyer Hospital is the latest Region hospital to join the growing "I Gave Birth" initiative, helping to safeguard the health of new mothers.
Community Healthcare System has relocated its Immediate Care Center in Munster.
A-1 Cycle Center, a bike shop in Merrillville, is reaching the end of the trail.
Residents who live near the BP Whiting Refinery said they couldn't breathe, worried for their children's health and feared an explosion after the recent operational upsets there.
NWI Business Ins and Outs: Honey Bee Pancake House, Bento Bowls, Burn 'Em Brewing and Piper and the Plant opening; Popeye's closes
3 Floyds is diversifying into canned ready-to-drink cocktails.
Peoples Bank named a new chief financial officer after its last CFO left for another job.
A new florist and gift shop plans to brighten downtown Highland.
Grindhouse Cafe has been keeping Griffith wired for more than a decade and Whiting for the last four years. Now the popular coffee shop, a destination and hangout spot, is taking over the former Bone Dry Bar in Highland.
A Lake County resident has been diagnosed with Indiana's first case of measles in five years.
The furry goofball mascots enshrined in the Mascot Hall of Fame by the Lake Michigan lakeshore in Whiting now have something to cheer other th…
Ice cover on Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes as a whole are the third lowest on record this winter.
IDEM and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are pursuing enforcement actions and fines against BP after the recent leaks and shutdown at the BP Whiting Refinery.
Centier Bank won two awards from the United States Small Business Administration’s Indiana District Office.
The Federal Trade Commission is suing to block Kroger's $24.6 billion acquisition of Jewel-Osco parent company Albertsons.
NIPSCO plans to replace 490,000 electric meters across Northern Indiana over the next three years with new Advanced Metering Infrastructure.
The Ports of Indiana, including the deepwater port on Lake Michigan, shipped 1.26 million tons of cargo last year, the second most on record in its 63-year history.
The United Steelworkers union signed a non-disclosure agreement with Nippon Steel in the hope of advancing talks about its proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel.
A driver who failed to move over hit an Illinois State Police trooper's squad car on Interstate 80 westbound by LaGrange Road in south suburban Will County.
Cause 4Paws Gary, Inc. plans to soon host its spring pantry to needy pet owners.
A Huey Lewis and the News tribute band will perform at Pavilion at Wolf Lake on Saturday, August 24th as part of the free Summer Concert Series.
All seven of the regional hydrogen hubs, including the Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen or MachH2, are expressing concerns about federal guidance on hydrogen production tax credits, including that it would exclude hydrogen produced with nuclear power.
A dog died and the home was a loss in a South Haven house fire Saturday.
The Northwest Indiana Symphony will perform “Carmen & Carmina” one night only.
The troubadour of unrequited longing Rick Springfield will take the stage at Four Winds New Buffalo.
Centier Bank recently hired a new chief marketing officer and a new chief credit card officer.
Indiana ranked third nationwide in manufacturing, a new study found.
The Environmental Law & Policy Center is raising concerns about BP Whiting Refinery's air permit renewal after the recent plant incidents.
Just a few years after opening, the lakefront Hammond data center has already reached capacity and plans to expand.
Billy Idol will sing hits like "Rebel Yell," "White Wedding" and Dancing with Myself" at Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana’s Hard Rock Live venue.
The Motown legend Smokey Robinson will sing timeless hits like "I Second That Emotion," "The Tears of a Clown" and "My Girl" at the Hard Rock Casino in Gary.
Matthew Sweet, Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket and Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos to play the Acorn
The alternative rock singers Matthew Sweet and Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket will play the Acorn in Harbor Country, as will Cesar Rosas of The Chi-Town Playboy and the Grammy-winning Los Lobos.
After more than a decade of serving gourmet popcorn to the Region, ChicagoLand Popcorn is franchsing and launching the Indiana Popcorn School to train franchisees.
The Italian government has taken over a struggling steel mill ArcelorMittal held a majority stake in.
A new documentary takes a look at the Midwestern steel industry, including in the Region.
The Northwest Indiana Forum is seeking the maximum $75 million in READI 2.0 funding from the state.
BP hopes to soon have the BP Whiting Refinery, the largest refinery in the Midwest brought back up to full production after the shutdown and has been hosting a series of community meetings to try to address residents' fears.
Indiana's largest hospital system is winning praise for lowering prices, which is hoped to have a ripple effect since it's the market leader in the Hoosier State and Indiana has some of the highest hospital prices in the country.
The Illinois Department of Public Health redesignated the Franciscan Health Olympia Fields Hospital in the south suburbs as an Acute Stroke Ready hospital.
HealthLinc, the community health center, will soon open its latest clinic in Michigan City.
A Region nurse delivered a Valentine's Day baby decades after delivering her father in the very same maternity ward.
One of the Region's largest health care systems is changing its name.
Shive-Hattery, one of the most prominent architecture firms in the Region, is expanding to the Pacific Northwest.
Cleveland-Cliffs and the United Steelworkers union are blaming U.S. Steel after the U.S. International Trade Commission voted against imposing protective tariffs on tin imports despite mill idlings.
The United Auto Workers union's stated strategy of negotiating historic contract gains after a six-week strike last fall as a way to recruit more members notched another early gain at a southern auto plant.
The South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority is planting the seeds for drawing more visitation to Northwest Indiana.
JRS Mar/Com, a digital marketing firm with offices in Crown Point and Arlington Heights, is offering a free marketing webinar for small businesses.
Region hospitals welcomed babies Thursday with the rarest birthday – on Leap Day that happens only once every four years.
Merrillville has adopted a new town slogan and it's "The Heart of the Region."