New food store to move into Grayslake Piggly Wiggly
Another grocery store is expected to debut next year in the space where the soon-to-be-shuttered Piggly Wiggly supermarket has been operating on Grayslake’s west side.
Farmer’s Market Place is slated to open April 1 in place of the Piggly Wiggly, which is owned by David and Debra Karczewski. Full remodeling is projected to begin immediately after the Piggly Wiggly exits the mall at Atkinson Road and Center Street on Dec. 15.
In a formal announcement, Sheboygan, Wis.-based Piggly Wiggly Midwest stated it’ll become the primary wholesaler for Farmer’s Market Place. Many of the products customers have been accustomed to purchasing at the store by the same name will be available at the new market, the company said.
Vicky Kouantas, the owner and operator of Farmer’s Market Place, said Tuesday the Grayslake area is ready for such a store. She plans to double the produce area in the Piggly Wiggly space, provide an in-store bakery and add a full-service delicatessen.
“We are excited to bring Farmer’s Market Place to Grayslake,” Kouantas said.
Piggly Wiggly opened at Center and Atkinson in 1993. It’s been a part of Grayslake’s community fabric through efforts such as the annual Lake County Farm Bureau Race For Hunger to benefit local food pantries, which has featured noteworthy local government officials filling shopping carts in an eight-minute competition.
David Karczewski has said unsuccessful lease negotiations with his landlord Kouantas — not lack of business — are responsible for the Piggly Wiggly closure. He said he could only afford so much rent in Grayslake without jeopardizing his Piggly Wiggly operations in Antioch and Zion.
Piggly Wiggly Midwest has corporately owned markets and provides services to franchisees through what’s called a chain-style program. Karczewski’s family acquired the Grayslake Piggly Wiggly in 2008.
Kouantas said the Grayslake store will be the first Farmer’s Market Place. She said it’ll have similarities to Mariano’s Fresh Market, Garden Fresh Market and Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Markets.