A Collection of Small Business Profiles

We profiled four different Skokie based businesses in November: Jack's Restaurant, Kaufman's Deli, Dengeos and American Hoarders. If you missed them, now's the chance to check out how these owners became their own boss.

Last month, we profiled four Skokie small businesses, some of which were nominated from our readers via our Facebook page. We thoguht we'd put that collection together in one piece. The profiles look at the journey each small business owner took to becoming their own boss.  A beloved deli - With Kaufman's facing their first grand opening in several decades, we decided to profile them first.   Kaufman’s started a new chapter in the store’s history about one year following the fire that destroyed the Dempster Street store. The new era for the deli and bakery is reopened its doors on Nov. 5. “It has changed me,” Dworkin said reflecting on the past year. “It has given me a tremendous dose of not being in control of my world. It forced me to be…

• Photos (1)

Small Business Saturday

The Story Behind Skokie's Iconic Jack's Restaurant

Jack's Restaurant was the place to be after hours for almost a half-century. While the hours have scaled back, the Skokie restaurant known for its comfort food is still a popular destination to many.

For many Skokians, Jack’s Restaurant was the after hours place to be seen. While it’s scaled back its hours, the business still holds a Cheers like atmosphere. The venerable eatery at 5201 Touhy Ave. has been welcoming customers for generations. With its comfort food menu, Jack’s provides a sense of community, which likely explains its longevity, said owner George Koretos. Jack’s, which was originally known as Jake’s, opened sometime during the Eisenhower administration in the late 1950s. The restaurant was renamed Jack’s in 1965 when not so coincidentally it was taken over by Jack Koretos and his business partner Jerry Rubin. Jack’s son, George, now 49, has been running the day-to-day operation since 2000, a job he has been preparing for …

• Photos (2)