Meijer proves to be the perfect spot for Weight Watchers
People looking to drop a few pounds usually try to avoid the temptations of grocery stores as much as possible. But some folks along the Randall Road corridor are now heading into the Meijer grocery store in Algonquin in hopes of losing weight.
Weight Watchers recently opened one of its first grocery store locations in Illinois right inside the Meijer store, on the west side of Randall.
They moved from a temporary spot inside of the Holiday Inn in Algonquin to the Meijer store. Since moving, the membership of the Algonquin Weight Watchers has doubled from 125 people to more than 250, Weight Watchers Territory Manager Amy Loukota said.
The spot is bigger and has more privacy for the clients, Loukota said.
"I was never happy with where we were," Loukota said. "We couldn't have private conversations with the clients about their weight loss journey because it was just a conference room.
"When I saw this vacancy inside of the Meijer store, I thought it would be great for us," she said.
It took about a year to make the move happen, Loukota said. And now, they couldn't be happier with the new spot.
"It's beautiful, warm, inviting, and it's private," she said.
Weight Watchers has had four locations inside of Walmarts in Illinois, but this is the first in a grocery store in this area, Loukota said.
Loukota said Weight Watchers is actually hoping to incorporate their new location into their program.
In March, they will be offering their members a field trip through the store, showing them how to shop for a healthy diet.
Anyone interested in checking out the new location is invited to an open house from 1 to 4 p.m. every Saturday in February. People can ask questions about Weight Watchers, find out what programs they offer and win prizes during the open house, Loukota said.
Wine Adventure: Gibby's Wine Den along Randall Road in Geneva is hosting an exploration into wine from the "Upper Northwest Corner" at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 25. Christophe Bakunas, proprietor of Local Wine Co., will be Gibby's guest bartender and share stories from his artisan winemakers of Washington and Oregon.
In addition to his stories, he will bring four wines to taste and will present the inaugural release of the Murphy's law Red. Also available will be The Murphy's law White, Jigsaw Pinot Noir and Tilda Blend.
Bottle signing also will be available. The cost is $20 per person. For reservations, call (630) 208-6424 or visit gibbys- wine.com.
Soon to go: Hollywood Video along Randall Road in Lake in the Hills soon will be leaving the Randall Road corridor. The store is closing its doors and no longer will be renting and selling DVDs and video games.
New restaurant: Baja California/Northern Border just opened at 902 S. Randall Road in St. Charles. Stay tuned for an upcoming column on the restaurant.
• 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.