Who's Headed To The New Evergreen Market Place Development?

EVERGREEN PARK, IL -- Retailers are lining up to open in the new Evergreen Market Place, a contemporary outdoor mall replacing the former Evergreen Plaza anchoring the corner 95th Street and Western Avenue in Evergreen Park. Leasing agent Lormax Stern has lined up an impressive array of retailers, many of them mall staples, set to open this fall.

Carson’s, which anchored the old Plaza, reopened in a brand new building a year ago. DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse) and Five Below have already announced their openings Aug. 17 and Aug. 18 respectively. Cosmetics retailer Ulta is tentatively set to open in September and has been running job ads. And, casual fast dining eatery Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers is also hiring staff its new location.

The existing Planet Fitness and Appleby’s are staying on and have remained open for business during construction. The Village of Evergreen Park has also been setting up job fairs to give local residents first crack at jobs in the news businesses and restaurants. Keep an eye on Patch for job fair and store opening announcements.

With so many retailers closing their brick-and-mortar stores, will the new Evergreen Market Place be able to withstand online competition? Mayor Jim Sexton is optimistic about the new redevelopment's future success.

“I think we’re ahead of the curve,” Sexton said. “Shoppers still want to touch and feel merchandise. People still want to get advice from sales staff. I think ‘old fashioned’ will prevail.”

The good news is that area residents will no longer have to drive to Orland Square Mall to shop for their favorite brands. Evergreen Market Place’s stand alone stores and outdoor mall concept for today’s time-starved consumer, as well as nostalgia for the old Evergreen Plaza is likely to keep local shoppers in the neighborhood, as well as coax a few old ones back.

“We’ve been working hard, making calls everyday and letting retailers know we’re open for business,” Sexton said.

The Village of Evergreen Park provided a rendering of the new shopping center along with names of retail tenants provided to the village by the Bloomfield Hills, MI-based Lormax-Stern. Leasing agent Andrew Luckhold said that as landlord, the company cannot comment on tenants or possible opening dates.

A total of eighteen retailers and restaurants appear to have signed up for the new Evergreen Market Place development. Here is what we know so far:

DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse): Carries the latest styles of designer shoes, boots, sandals, handbags and other accessories. The space is being stocked with merchandise. Targeted opening date is Aug. 17

Five Below: “Cool and trendy” products catering to the teen and preteen set for $5 or less. The ever-evolving assortment of products include cell phone cases and chargers, remote control cars, yoga pants, graphic tees, nail polish, footballs and soccer balls, tons of candy and other seasonal must-haves. Opening Aug. 18.

Ulta: Tentatively set to open in September 2017. Ulta claims to be the largest cosmetics retailer in the United States. The store is already in the process of staffing its new Evergreen Park location. Ulta carries over 20,000 cosmetic, fragrance, skin and hair care products from 500 established and emerging beauty brands.

Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers: Casual fast-dining restaurant offering Louisiana-style chicken fingers with a secret sauce and side dishes, as well as freshly brewed sweet tea and fresh-squeezed lemonade. The rapidly growing company was recently named “Best Companies to Work For.” Raising Cane’s is currently hiring for the Evergreen Park store. If any indication of the number of openings, the Oak Lawn location hired 40 team members when it opened in February.

MOD (Pizza) - A new build-your-own artisan pizza restaurant. A notice on the company’s website indicates that MOD will be "opening soon" at 9740 S. Western Ave. in Evergreen Market Place.

365 By Whole Foods: Tentatively slated to open November 2017. The buildout is still under construction. The 30,000-square-foot supermarket will house Whole Foods 365 brand, a new, lower-priced concept store. 365 is being marketed to combat the public perception of Whole Foods being an overpriced natural food store. The store will offer grocery items appealing to shoppers on tighter budgets.

David’s Bridal: David’s Bridal is relocating its Oak Lawn store at 5020 95th St. to a 10,000-square-foot space in Evergreen Market Place. Oak Lawn employees are expected to be moving to the Evergreen Park location, with a tentative opening date of October 2017. David’s is a national bridal chain that carries designer gowns, mother of the bride/groom dresses, prom dresses, wedding accessories and tuxedo rentals. The store is also serving brides impacted by the closing of Alfred Angelo.

TJ Maxx: There is still work being done on the inside of this buildout, but the store is expected to be stocked shortly for a fall opening. TJ Maxx has not yet posted a grand opening date for the Evergreen Park location. With over 1,000 stores nationwide, TJ’s is always looking for new talent, so visit TJ’s careers site and get your resume in early.

Potbelly’s: Potbelly sandwiches is absconding from its Beverly location to the new Evergreen Market Plaza. The sandwich shop will also sport a drive-through window. Slated to open this fall.

Other retailers and restaurants whose names appear on the rendering:

Dick’s Sporting Goods: The Pittsburgh-based, big box sports retailer plans to open 43 new stores across the country in 2017, one of those locations being Evergreen Park. Dick’s offers an extensive assortment of authentic, high-quality sports equipment, apparel, footwear and accessories.

Bath and Body Works: Offers hundreds of products, including aromatherapy candles, bodycare, skincare and fragrances. The store is hiring seasonal associates at its Chicago-area locations, including many in the south suburbs. Whether this includes the new location in Evergreen Park, we do not know.

Dress Barn: Women’s apparel. The store is currently hiring at its Oak Lawn location. An associate stated that the Dress Barn in the Market Place of Oak Lawn is not relocating to Evergreen Park. The store associate also is not aware of any plans to open a store in the old plaza redevelopment.

Petco: Petco offers a wide selection of pet foods, accessories for all creatures great and small, supplies and dog grooming services.

R Taco: Formerly known as Rusty Taco, this Dallas, TX-based makes authentic, Mexican-style, street tacos. R Taco's name is penciled in on the rendering.

Visionworks: Large eyeglass retailer for adults, girls and boys. The shop will have an on-site optical lab and optometrists for exams. Most eyeglasses can be made in less than hour.

Carters/Osh Kosh: Children’s apparel.

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