Dentist, AT&T to open in new Algonquin building

Many of you spent a lot of time along Randall Road this holiday season, getting all of your last-minute shopping and returning done.

And as you drove back and forth on all of your errands, you passed many times by the new building under construction in Algonquin along Randall Road near Georgia's Restaurant and Pancake House. Many of you wondered and emailed asking what the new addition to the Randall Road corridor would be.

Ben Mason, the village of Algonquin's senior planner, says the 8,000 square feet going up in front of the Wal-Mart, and near Georgia's, will become a new commercial building.

Mason said the building should be completed by this coming spring and then should be ready for occupancy.

Already, he said, two tenants plans to fill the space inside of the new building.

The plans call for an AT&T store in one half of the new construction, and an Aspen Dental center in the other half of the building, Mason said. Each business will be approximately 4,000 square feet in size, he said.

Author visits:

The Barnes and Noble store in Geneva will be hosting two authors this week who will be doing appearances and book signings in the store.

First up is author William Hazelgrove, who will be signing his book "Madame President: The Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson."

The event begins at 4 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 12, at the store within Geneva Commons.

Hazelgrove's historical book tells the story of First Lady Edith Wilson, who took on many of her husband President Woodrow Wilson's duties after he suffered a crippling stroke while in office. The book explores the idea of whether the United States may have in some ways already had its first female president, and makes the case that Edith Wilson did many of those duties in her husband's place when he could not perform them.

Switching to a different genre, there also will be a signing later the same day at the store of a new fictional novel.

At 7 p.m., author Sarah Barthel will be at the Geneva Barnes and Noble.

She will be reading an excerpt from her new book "House of Silence." She also will be signing the book for patrons.

The book is set in Oak Park in 1875. The novel tells the story of Isabelle Larken, who witnessed a horrific crime in that area.

Afterward, she was brought to Bellevue Sanitarium.

In the fictional novel, Larken befriends fellow patient Mary Todd Lincoln while at Bellevue.

The book will appeal to many with its local sites and stories set in the late 1800s.

Both author events at the store are free and open to the public.

The featured books will be available that evening for purchase, and for signing.

The Barnes and Noble in Geneva is at 102 Commons Drive.

For information call (630) 262-8568.

• Amy Williams' column covers all the news of business along the Randall Road corridor from Batavia to Crystal Lake. Contact her at randallbiz@comcast.net or (847) 894-5036.