ROCKFORD Standing 16 feet tall, he has towered over a busy northwest side thoroughfare for more than a half-century beckoning passersby to stop and shop.
He s dressed in blue bib overalls, a red shirt and blue cap as he pours grain from a bin that is raised high above his shoulders.
Say hello to Wayne, the face of Wayne s Feed Store, 3435 Auburn St., for nearly 60 years.
“We just wanted something different that would stand out,” Wayne s Feed Store manager Fred Hoople said. “The plywood on it has been replaced twice since we’ve had it for the last 57 years, and we repaint it every few years.”
ROCKFORD Brothers Dave and Tom Giamalva locked the doors at Palace Shoe Repair for the final time on Friday, an emotional end to 95 years as a family business.
The brothers, who ran the downtown shop with their father, Lou, have spent the last couple months selling off their remaining inventory of shoes, boots, purses, wallets and other accessories.
“We’ve always known that the end could come,” Tom Giamalva told the Register Star in a March interview. “After this long and working with family, it’s very difficult. I won’t see my dad and my brother every day.”
The shop has been located at 204 N. Main St. since 1958. It opened in 1926 in the 100 block of North Main Street next to the Palace Theater, which was demolished years ago.
The restaurant closed its doors for good in February.
Gene’s Irish Pub debuted in the Midtown District in September 2019 and was open Tuesday through Saturday. Its menu featured Dublin salad, Irish nachos and Lassie Mandy’s Shepherd’s Pie.
Hayenga declined to comment on the reasons for the shutdown but said he is relocating to Cookeville, Tennessee, where he plans to open another restaurant.
Before launching Gene’s Irish Pub, Hayenga owned and operated Gene’s Place, 4412 Manchester Drive, which was open for about eight years before closing in April 2019.
Rockford Business: Family-owned Palace Shoe Repair to close in April rrstar.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rrstar.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.