Welcome back.

WOW! That's the best way I can describe the response to last week's column about the types of new businesses that our readers would like to see open shop in Mokena.

Comments were garnered from Mokena Patch, emails, Facebook posts, phone calls and personal discussions. Impressive but not surprising. Residents of our beautiful little village, while respectful, are not shy about their opinions and suggestions.

Restaurants and niche grocers topped the list. Trader Joe's and Whole Foods were mentioned the most.

Eighteen different restaurant establishments came up, including coffee shops, rib joints, sandwich shops, bakeries and more. There were also a few mentions of retail shops.

Last week we featured contact information for McDonald's as the first business our readers could help enlighten as to the great opportunity they are missing by not having a presence in Mokena.

Next week I will post contact information for another business from the list of suggestions that have been sent in. If you didn't get a chance to chime in yet there is no time limit on forwarding your ideas for new businesses in Mokena.

You can email me directly, comment after today's column or leave a note on Mokena Patch's Facebook page.

There is one suggestion I would like to address today, a bakery.

Since 1977 Mokena has been blessed with one of the finest bakeries in the Chicago area, Fleckenstein's on La Grange Road. More recently, also on LaGrange Road is Sugarless World Bakery. This is one of the first bakeries in Northeast Illinois to offer a complete line of sugar free baked goods. And last, but certainly not least, is the bakery inside Brookhaven Market. Most of their items are baked on premises.

Seems like every week we find more reasons to love Mokena.

After the latest blast of winter weather you will be happy to know that The Countdown stands at 38.