Family Christian to Close Orland Park Location, All Stores Nationwide

ORLAND PARK, IL - The Family Christian store in Orland Park will close soon as the company plans to close all of its stores nationwide.

The non-profit company, which has been in business for 85 years, faced declining sales after filing for bankruptcy protection in 2015 and was forced to shut down, according to a USA Today report. The company bills itself as the “world's largest retailer of Christian-themed merchandise.”

Family Christian sells Christian books, music and gifts. The store is currently advertising up to 30 percent off all goods. Its Orland Park location is at 5115 S. La Grange Road.

“Despite improvements in product assortment and the store experience, sales continued to decline," said Chuck Bengochea, the company's president. "In addition, we were not able to get the pricing and terms we needed from our vendors to successfully compete in the market."

Family Christian has nine locations in the Chicago suburbs, including ones in Algonquin, Vernon Hills, Naperville, Lombard, Joliet, South Holland, Matteson and Batavia. Nationally, the company employs more than 3,000 people in 240 stores across 36 states, according to the USA Today report.

A specific closing date for any of the stores, including the one in Orland Park, has not yet been set.

More via the USA Today

• Patch Editor Amie Rowland contributed.

Image via Google Maps screenshot