Wickes' stay short in Algonquin Commons

The Algonquin Commons shopping center is about to lose one of its highly visible anchors.

After less than two years, Wickes Furniture is abandoning the lifestyle center while the furnishing giant goes out of business, officials confirmed Thursday.

Yet the center's property managers aren't wasting time fielding calls from several interested parties, said Jan Quinlan of Jeffrey Anderson Real Estate.

"At this point, they're looking at several options," Quinlan said, noting that three or four enterprises have expressed interest in the 34,000-square-foot facility on Randall Road.

A furniture store would be a "likely candidate" for that space, Algonquin Assistant Village Manager Jeff Mihelich said via e-mail.

Wickes set up shop in Algonquin in 2005 after having spent many years at Spring Hill Mall in West Dundee.

The Bombay Company and the Gap followed soon after.

Quinlan and Mihelich said Wickes officials have not told them when the store's final day of business will be.

A manager at the Algonquin Wickes routed calls to the company's corporate headquarters in Wheeling. A company spokeswoman there did not return a phone call.

The closure's potential impact on the local budget remains to be seen, Mihelich said.

"The village of Algonquin will obviously lose a modest amount of property and sales tax revenue if the building is unoccupied for an extended period of time," he said.

"But these lost revenues could be recaptured if other furniture stores in Algonquin experience increased sales due to the closing of a competitor."

Wickes operates 42 stores in five states. In February, it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, pointing to the housing market slump.