Business coming to life along Lake Zurich's Rand corridor
The retail landscape along Rand Road in Lake Zurich is changing as several new businesses are under construction and expected to open by fall.
The largest retailer to make its way to the heavily traveled corridor is Sweet Home Furniture. It will move into the building vacated by Wickes Furniture more than a year ago.
The Missouri-based furniture retailer, with suburban locations in Naperville and Niles, is expected to begin moving into the 42,000 square-foot building within the next week, said Vijay Gadde, planning manager for the Village of Lake Zurich. He added that the furniture retailer features merchandise comparable to Value City or Harlem Furniture.
Lake Zurich's business community, which has weathered blows from several major store closures in the past few years, was worried about filling the Wickes building at 825 S. Rand Road, mainly because of all its windows.
"We're thrilled that Sweet Home Furniture is taking the whole space," Gadde said.
Farther south on Rand Road, a 7,700-square-foot indoor play space and cafe is under construction and expected to open in August. Lake Zurich Treehouse highlights an indoor play facility designed to enhance children's imaginations.
This is the second location of its kind for owner Michele Balaka, who started a similar business about three years ago in her hometown of Chelsea, Mich. The new business, at 985 S. Rand Road, also caters to adults with an upscale cafe and restaurant.
Also hosting children's birthday parties, the business is built around a multilevel climbing structure with swinging bridges, enclosed slides, padded mats, ramps, swings and a soft basketball court.
Balaka, 39, left her career at Abbott to raise her children. She was shocked when she couldn't find appropriate, clean places for her family.
"After business trips, limos and golf outings, I was flabbergasted at how they wanted me to hang out with my kids," she said.
The concept is going over well in Michigan where she has 300 members. The cost for a single day of play is $10.
Lake Zurich will soon feature another attraction for children. Monkey Joe's, an indoor amusement facility, is under construction at 748 South Rand Road. It will occupy about 17,000 square feet of the former Bay Furniture store at the Deerpath Court Retail Center.
The business, which emphasizes teaching kids to play effectively with each other, will allow young people to jump, slide and play indoors.
Sonic, another family-oriented business, broke ground Wednesday. The Oklahoma burger eatery, known for its nostalgic 1950s style ordering, will take the place of the former Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise. John Cywinski, a 25-year veteran of the restaurant industry, is the principal owner of the popular business with car stalls with speakers and carhops delivering orders on roller skates.
The Southern brand with more than 3,500 drive-in restaurants has gone over well at his other location in Algonquin, he said. The popular franchise also operates in Aurora and Bartlett.