The Biz Week That Was: Fixing crystals, fancy bowling and ticket tax hike among highlights

The ‘Crystal Fixer’ gives new life to broken, chipped crystal, glassware, porcelain

Mary Lou Gates of Mary Lou’s Crystal Repair in Joliet does the careful work of crystal repair, as she has done now for 55 years — 40 of them at The Little Traveler in Geneva — working her magic to fix chips, cracks, breaks and decapitations of people’s crystal, china and porcelain. “It’s all I’ve ever done,” Gates said. “I never had a real job.” She started as a teen repairing glassware in her parents’ Joliet antique shop, using a lapidary stone polishing machine.

Twisted Pin in Plainfield rolls out ‘sophisticated’ bowling, gaming experience

Thanks to a more than yearlong “seven-figure-plus” renovation and re-branding effort, Twisted Pin, 15610 Joliet Road in Plainfield, now offers an upscale bowling, arcade and entertainment experience. Jon Dow and his brother Chris bought the facility, built in 1996 and previously called Pioneer Lanes. Unable to leave the name the same based on the sale, the two quickly renamed the bowling center as Plainfield Lanes. Now, the brothers have transformed the space completely with a modern and sophisticated look in the hopes of appealing to a broader demographic. Twisted Pin offers an entertainment-based experience.

Rosemont hikes ticket tax again

Rosemont will hike its local amusement tax for sports, concerts and other ticketed events from 4% to 6% to help cover increased personnel costs, village officials said. Tickets for events at the Allstate Arena and other venues in Rosemont will be taxed at 6% — up from 4% — beginning next year. The increase takes effect Jan. 1 — nearly two years after the tax rate went from 3% to 4%. The new Rosemont tax will apply only to events first going on sale in the new year. Tickets for the Chicago Wolves and Chicago Dogs, for example, won’t have the added tax until 2024 or 2025.

Six decades after original ‘Dog House,’ to-go Portillo’s opens in Rosemont

After years of stalled redevelopment on a blighted corner at Rosemont’s gateway, the monthslong construction of a new Portillo’s there seemingly went as quick as it is to get through the drive-through lanes. Officials Tuesday morning grand opened Portillo’s Pick Up on the northwest corner of Mannheim and Higgins roads. It is the popular Chicago-style food chain’s second location without a dining room. There are two drive-through lanes for ordering and a bypass lane that encircles the building, which has a small lobby to pick up orders placed online or through food delivery apps. Unlike the larger brick-and-mortar sites in the restaurant chain’s portfolio, the Rosemont eatery doesn’t have tables or seating for indoor dining.

U.S. consumer inflation eased slightly in November as gas prices fell, though some costs kept surging

U.S. inflation ticked down again last month, with cheaper gas helping further lighten the weight of consumer price increases in the United States. At the same time, the latest data on consumer inflation showed that prices in some areas — services such as restaurants, used cars and auto insurance - continued to rise uncomfortably fast.