Retailers Expressing Interest In Leasing Evergreen Plaza Carson's

EVERGREEN PARK, IL -- As he gave his state of the village address to members of the Evergreen Park Chamber of Commerce last Wednesday, Mayor Jim Sexton held out hope that the prototype Carson’s store at the rebooted Evergreen Plaza would be spared from the bankruptcy ax. It wasn’t to be. Bon-Ton Stores Inc. announced that it would be closing all of its 264 stores under the Carson’s, Bon-Ton, Boston, Bergner’s, Elder-Beerman, Herberger's and Younkers nameplates.

“We’re very sorry to see them go,” Sexton said. “Carson’s is kind of an institution out here. A lot of retailers are closing and shifting gears.”

For over 50 years Carson’s stood as the pillar of both incarnations of the Evergreen Plaza. The company demolished the old store and built a new prototype Carson’s store in the Plaza that is currently being redeveloped by Bloomfield, Mich.-based Lormax-Stern. U.S. Bankruptcy Court. When the store opened in September 2016, Bon-Ton’s then CEO and president Kathryn Bufano promised the community that the company was committed to delivering the “best hometown department store for generations to come.”

U.S. Bankruptcy Court approved the sale of inventory and all of Bon-Ton’s assets on April 18. Going-out-of-business sales are now underway at Illinois’s Carson stores. Bon-Ton expects to wrap up business and shutter the once mighty Carson Pirie Scott department stores within the next 10 to 12 weeks. Liquidation sales started this weekend offering 10-percent to 30-percent off merchandise at the Chicago Ridge’s Carson’s store. The discounts are expected to ramp up in the coming weeks.

Sexton said the developer has since fielded several inquiries from retailers interested in moving into the trademark white Carson’s building.

“We have a lot of respectable quality retailers interested already,” Sexton said. “We still have Whole Foods and Burlington opening.”

Whole Foods is projected to open in January 2019. Burlington will open on April 27 , with Bath and Body Works aiming at a May opening. TJ Maxx, David’s Bridal, DSW, Ulta, Five Below and Petco have already operating in Plaza reboot.

Sexton blamed online retailers such as Amazon for killing the local brick-and-mortar malls and department stores.

“A lot of good men and women in union labor built these stores,” the mayor said. “If were going to eliminate the construction trade there’s going to be a lot more people out of work not spending money by ordering things online. How many local people is Amazon hiring?”

The mayor called the closing of Carson’s a wake-up call for residents to start going back to local stores to do their shopping.

“If these stores start to close property taxes will start going up,” Sexton said. “This whole thing with people ordering online and getting it delivered to the front of your house is not good for any of us. I hope it’s not too late. It’s time for people to wake up and get out of their basements.”

Fourteen out of 30 retail spaces have been leased in the Plaza, and are open or getting ready to open. Sexton told chamber members that instead of a smaller, streamlined Whole Foods 365, the Austin, Tx.- based grocer plans to open a full-lined natural and organics supermarket in Evergreen Park. Rally House, which caters in licensed professional and college team apparel and a nail salon.

“We’ll get over losing [Carson’s]. The Plaza will be fine,” Sexton said. “We get back to shopping local and knowing who your retailer is. You don’t know anyone shopping online or if they’re paying sales tax. We have to wake up and know it’s not the future.”

~ Photo by Patch Editor Lorraine Swanson