And the Top 5 Plainfield Patch Business Stories of 2011 Are...

Despite the still-sluggish economy, the Plainfield business scene in 2011 -- while not robust -- had a few high points (and a few low).

The Top 5 stories on Plainfield Patch were:

1. . On the heels of Diageo's 2008 expansion and its partnership with Logoplaste, which added an $18 million bottling facility to its growing Plainfield footprint in 2010, the liquor manufacturer announced this year that another addition was in the works. The $22 million project, to be completed in 2013, calls for demolition of the plant's original gin distillery to make way for an expanded bottling hall and the creation of a new processing addition, semi-works addition and additional warehouse space.

2. . In its day in the late 1800s, the Opera House at Lockport and Des Plaines streets literally housed an opera company on its second floor. Since then, the building has been home to, among other things, restaurants, an antique store, hardware store, grocery store, dance studio and movie theater. But it was a dismal mess when Bill Habiger bought the property with plans to restore it to its original glory. The work, including a copper tower and pediment, was finished this fall and the first tenants -- Acorn Portraits and Me Tu Boutique -- are settling in. 

3. . You needed to a scorecard to keep track of the restaurants that came and went in 2011. Some were longtime residents, such as Baci Ristorante, Sapporo and Hope Buffet. Others were popular eatery/watering holes, such as Finnegan's Irish Pub, which lost its liquor license when owners fell behind on paying state taxes. Others seemed to barely make a dent before they were gone, such as the Route 59 Grill and Cebollitas Mexican Restaurant. But there were plenty of new contenders, too, including Tap House Grill, La Dolce Vita Per Tutti, Fox's Pub, HopScotch & Vine and Armando's Pizzeria.

4. . The occasional orange cones and lane closures notwithstanding, the bulk of the three-year Route 59 road widening project came to a close this summer. For many Route 59 and downtown businesses -- those that managed to survive despite the drop in sales as customers avoided traveling through the construction zone -- the news was celebrated with a big sale in July.

5. . You've got to love a business that uses an ice cream truck as its business model but instead of kids chasing after cones, it has moms chasing after organic fruits and veggies. Amy Ernst, convinced that organic and locally grown is safer and healthier than store-bought, got herself a van, established a daily route and brought her wares to her customers. She says she'll be back this coming summer for year two.