Teddy's Liquors down to only one suburban store

After more than 50 years in the Northwest suburbs, Teddy's Liquors has only one store left.

Of the five Teddy's Liquors stores once located in Arlington Heights, Palatine and Crystal Lake, four locations consolidated and closed at the end of 2015, leaving only the store at 1050 E. Rand Road in Arlington Heights still open.

Owner John Karavidas said the three members of the family who own the business will sit down early this year to decide whether to reopen any of the closed stores or shutter the final store for good.

"We consolidated going into the holidays, but I don't know what we're doing going forward," he said Monday. "It's a collective decision we'll make as a family, not an individual decision."

Karavidas did not comment further on when a decision would be made.

Signs in front of the other Teddy's Liquors stores redirect customers to the Rand Road location. The company's website says it has been family-owned and -operated since 1963.

Village officials said they knew about the issues with the local liquor store.

"We have reached out to Teddy's a couple times over the last few months to see how they're doing," said Michael Mertes, Arlington Heights business development coordinator. "We are aware of the situation and we will continue to reach out to them to offer any assistance we can."

In 2011, Connie Karavidas, another owner of Teddy's Liquors, and several other Arlington Heights small liquor store owners wrote letters to the village board to protest Binny's Beverage Depot, which eventually opened along Rand Road, saying the large store would hurt her company's business.