Party comes to downtown Grayslake building
[gragiant--ne092507bc] Bob Chwedyk/bchwedyk@dailyherald.com
The big front windows should be a clue the original owners of a building in downtown Grayslake wanted people to stop and stare.
Inside, the latest shiny models of the Dort, Overland and Grant 6 beckoned. It was spring 1916 and the little village already was well stocked with dealers and mechanics looking to capitalize on the new automobile craze.
The building's association with autos lasted for 50 years before giving way to a series of businesses. Gutted inside and reconfigured yet again, the latest occupant regards the well-worn spot as party central.
"It's going to be a 6,000- square-foot party store. We want to have the largest selection in the area," says Chuck Schwartz, who plans to open his fourth Card & Party Giant location.
It sells decorations, novelties, plates, balloons and other fare for all seasons and holidays, traditional or invented. The other stores are in Chicago, Northlake and Glenview. Schwartz said he wanted to expand and found an opportunity in downtown Grayslake.
"The kind of customer we have, they're not in a hurry to go anywhere else," he said. "I don't need to be in the hustle-bustle malls."
From cars to furniture to a flea market, gymnastics center and most recently a hair salon, the one constant has been the modest single-story brick building where Center Street dead ends into Lake Street -- a location visitors can't miss.
According to "Grayslake: A Historical Portrait" published by the Grayslake Historical Society, the building had its origins with the Brandstetter family, long associated with cars and saloons.
William Brandstetter, a farmer, moved from Libertyville to Grayslake in the early 1890s, about the time the village's commercial core businesses were gathering steam.
In 1916, his sons, Fay and George, opened an auto sale and repair business and also dealt "gasolene." The partnership lasted only five years. Fay sold but reacquired his interest in the Lake Street building and stayed involved until 1951.
By the mid-1960s, the old garage was transformed into a furniture store. Ray Rockenbach bought the building and operated a hardware store there until 1976. A succession of renters followed.
Schwartz now intends to buy the building from the Rockenbach heir.
A remnant of the old service stations remains -- the underground storage tanks were removed in the 1990s, but some pollutants remain. Schwartz said he struck an agreement to open while those details are resolved.
Equipment, fixtures and merchandise are being moved in this week.
"At this point what we've decided to do is open a Halloween store," he said. "Then in November, we will probably close down and hopefully be open in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas."