Hinsdale family could soon raise glasses to late Fuller

HINSDALE – Anyone who has ever visited Hinsdale knows the Fuller name.

Whether it's from seeing the sign on the hardware store, the car wash or just simply watching the family enthusiastically greet customers, the name speaks volumes to the local character.

On May 29, longtime Hinsdale resident Doug Fuller Sr., 69, passed away surrounded by his loving family at his Hinsdale home.

Fuller Sr. may be gone, but his legacy will not be forgotten in the village he helped solidify. He was the owner and operator of Fuller's Service Center, Fuller's Home and Hardware, Dips & Dogs, Fuller's Tire Center of Clarendon Hills and Fuller's Car Wash of Cicero.

"Certainly his business legacy is known all over town, which is something to be certainly proud of and thankful for," said Tim Scott, Hinsdale's director of economic development. "But I think the bigger legacy is certainly his family, his very large family."

Fuller and his wife, Liz, had seven children and 31 grandchildren. It's this man who John Karstrand, chairman of the town's economic development commission, will remember.

"I knew him more in the community as a grandfather to all the kids and he was known more in the community as a fatherly role than a business role," Karstrand said.

Fuller's legacy as a businessman will move on as Doug Fuller Jr. looks to proceed with constructing a full-service family restaurant with a sports theme called Fullersburg Grill off their hardware shop in downtown Hinsdale. Fuller has been rallying for a new liquor license in town that would extend the hours that alcohol could be served.

During a Village Board meeting Tuesday, an ordinance to amend the license category was taken off the agenda because of the surrounding circumstances. Trustees will bring the issue up again at a later date.

Scott said if the extended license is amended and Fuller pursues the project, the new family oriented restaurant would be "absolutely" ideal for Hinsdale.

"It's something we've heard from the community for quite some time," Scott said.

The current full service license allows restaurants to sell alcohol during the week until 10:30 p.m. and then to midnight on the weekend. The new time, if amended, would go to 11:30 p.m. on weekdays and 12:30 a.m. on weekends.

However, if a current restaurant wants to extend its liquor service hours, the process involves applying for a new license with both Hinsdale and the state. Scott said approval takes between four to six weeks, or potentially longer.

Designs for Fullersburg Grill are still fluid, but Scott said the restaurant could be between 5,000 to 6,000 square feet on the First Street side of the existing hardware store at East First Street and South Garfield Avenue.