Corporate bankruptcies surged in 2025, rivaling levels not seen since the immediate aftermath of the Great Recession, as import-dependent businesses absorbed the highest tariffs in decades.
The cattle industry has seen higher prices due to drought reducing beef supplies and border closures limiting imports, but expansion is expected to put downward pressure on prices from 2026-2027.
El Molino Mexican Restaurant in Carpentersville — a staple in the village for 40 years — has been purchased by a family that runs an Elgin taqueria and recently reopened with a new look.
Whether it was mom-and-pop comic book store or a favorite place to eat, customers, as always, had to deal with the loss of some popular local businesses in the suburbs in 2025.
The recently opened Scooter’s Coffee in Algonquin will hold a grand opening celebration Jan. 2, with the first 100 customers winning free drinks for a week through the Scooter’s Coffee mobile app.
As Van’s Frozen Custard celebrates the opening of its new location in West Dundee, Duke’s Blues N BBQ is looking forward to a more permanent home in the former Van’s location in East Dundee.