Despite ‘Shark’ attack, Orland couple raking in orders
ABC’s sharks took a pass on the shower gadget invented by an Orland Park couple, but their loss is the couple’s gain.
“So, we didn’t get a deal, but our sales have been amazing,” Patty Watne said in an email Monday. “I have attached a picture of the orders we have ready to ship out; we have at least that many more to ship and the orders keep pouring in!”
The orders are for the HairyGrabster, a gadget designed by Watne with her husband, Andy Watne. They appeared with their invention on the program Shark Tank last week.
The sharks, unfortunately, were not impressed with the HairyGrabster when the Watnes made their pitch and the couple came away without a deal.
That didn’t faze people who saw the HairyGrabster in its television debut and reached out to order one.
The HairyGrabster attaches to a wall via suction and when someone, particularly with longer hair, washes their hair, they swipe their hands over the gadget and it has bristles that snag the hair off the hand and holds it until it can be thrown away.
“It started about four years ago,” Patty Watne said. “We have a teenage daughter with long hair and her dad saw all the hair that was going down the drain and was disgusted.”
“We wanted something to keep the walls cleaner and to keep hair from going down the drain.
The process had some ups and downs, but eventually, they found a company in China that could make it exactly like they wanted.
They mostly sell it online (Walmart and Amazon both carry it), but the gadget has started being sold at local salons, as well.
Lowe’s opens South Side outlet store
Lowe’s opened one of its new outlet stores recently at 4640 S. Pulaski Road in Chicago’s Archer Heights neighborhood.
The store held its grand opening on Feb. 26.
In a release, Lowe’s said the new store will offer more than 1,000 scratched and dented appliances priced up to 70% off. Lowe’s said all of the appliances undergo a series of tests and inspections to ensure they’re fully operational before offering them to customers.
The store obtained its remodeling permit in October and estimated renovation of a former Staples store would cost about $750,000.
Bobby Scott is the manager of the new store, which is only the fourth outlet store opened by Lowe’s. The first one opened in 2019 in Monrovia, California.
Arlington racetrack to reopen April 30
Live racing is scheduled to resume April 30 at Arlington International Racecourse.
The season is set to run until Sept. 25 and will feature races on Kentucky Derby Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Fireworks Night, August 14, “Million Day,” featuring a day of racing dedicated to the Duchossois family, and September 25, the final day of racing.
Tickets for Opening Day and race days in the month of May are now available for purchase. Tickets will go on sale on the second Wednesday of each month for the following month’s race days. June race dates will go on sale May 12, July race dates on June 9, August race dates on July 7, and September race dates on Aug. 11.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there will be no live entertainment events, family day
activities, nor carry-in items/outside food and beverage.
Arlington management encourages guests to plan ahead and purchase tickets early as seating is limited.
This year marks 92 years of racing, traditions, and memories at the historical racing venue.
Medieval Times to reopen in April
Another popular venue closed for more than a year because of the pandemic was Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament in Schaumburg.
The castle, which features clashing steel swords and the sound of pounding horse hooves bouncing off stone castle walls, will reopen by the end of April.
The announcement comes on the heels of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s expansion of Illinois’ Phase 4 guidelines to allow indoor performing arts venues accommodating more than 200 people to operate at 25 percent capacity. This provision will allow Medieval Times guests to remain socially-distanced in the 85,000-square-foot castle while cheering their favorite knight from behind the safety of securely-positioned masks.
“We see a light at the end of the tunnel and soon valiant knights on horseback will be charging through it,” said Perico Montaner, Medieval Times president and CEO. “In consultation with health experts and government officials we’ve created a substantial reopening plan that ensures our guests and staff remain safe, without compromising the majesty and excitement fans expect from our tournaments.”
With occupancy reduced to 25 percent, all parties will be seated a minimum of six feet apart in the Grand Ceremonial Arena.
Tickets still include a four-course meal and a two-hour jousting tournament featuring six courageous knights, real weapons, beautiful horses and a live flight of the royal falcon.