MC Sports closing in Wheaton

Editor's note: To clarify a story that ran in the business section Thursday, MC Sports in Wheaton has been the supplier for Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 gym uniforms for only one year.

Editor's note: This story was updated to reflect that MC Sports was not the longtime supplier of gym uniforms for District 200.

The supplier of gym uniforms for Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 is closing this month after 25 years in business.

Manager Jill Sonnenberg said MC Sports, 71 Danada Square East in Wheaton, is shutting down Sept. 27.

"It's really hard," she said. "This is like my second home."

Sonnenberg said she started working at the store part-time, two days a week, on Dec. 5, 1989. The store opened Nov. 25 that year, she said.

"People are really sad. They're like: 'This is our go-to store, this is our hometown store,'" she said. "It's kind of like a family. You know people that come in all the time."

District 200 spokeswoman Erica Loiacono said the store sells gym uniforms for students attending the district's four middle schools and two high schools.

A new gym uniform vendor for the district has not been found, but Loiacono said when it is, parents will be notified.

City Manager Don Rose said he wasn't surprised by the announcement of MC Sports' departure, though he called it unfortunate.

Sports' departure, though he called it unfortunate.

"They've been having financial difficulties for a while, and there's relatively new ownership of that center," he said. "I think (the owners have) been out, doing a recruiting effort to see what makes sense overall (in the center) ... I think they're just trying to figure out what kind of mix they want in there."

Within the past year, the shopping center also lost an IHOP, in its own building at 167 Danada Square East, and anchor tenant Dominick's at 91 Danada Square East.

Rose is confident the owners will get the center filled again.

"They bought it last year with a pretty good understanding that Dominick's was going to go out, that IHOP was probably going to leave," he said.

While some items in MC Sports are on sale, Sonnenberg said a lot of the merchandise will be sent to the company's other locations. Other suburban stores are in North Aurora, Lake Zurich and Joliet.

Some employees may transfer to other stores, too, Sonnenberg said. For now, she said, they are just trying to process the store's closing, which was announced only two weeks ago. "It happened so fast for us. It's really a sad thing."