Micro shops coming to Mundelein — with help from high school students

Construction of the sheds for a proposed seasonal marketplace in downtown Mundelein is expected to begin soon.

The village board on Monday, Nov. 9, agreed to spend up to $70,000 on building supplies for what officials are calling “micro shops.”

The board also approved an agreement with Mundelein High School District 120 officials that calls for students in its Career and Technical Education program to build six of the shops. The program prepares students for careers in carpentry, plumbing or other building trades.

Specifically, once the proposal is approved by high school officials, students in a Construction 2 class will build the sheds.

“It’s part of the coursework for students to learn what it takes to build a structure with heat and electricity,” Mundelein High spokesman Peter Gill said.

The structures will be built at the school and then arranged on vacant land on the northeast corner of Park Street and Seymour Avenue, just east of the restaurants and shops at the heart of Mundelein’s downtown area. Ten shops are planned.

The village’s Economic Development Commission, which advises the village board, pitched the idea of a pop-up shopping district in September 2025.

Such venues operate seasonally in Batavia, Huntley, McHenry and other communities. The shedlike stalls typically are occupied by vendors selling jewelry, clothes, baked goods, beauty products and other artisanal items.

According to the agreement the Mundelein board approved, construction is expected to begin in early December and be completed by the end of the current school year. Village staffers will complete any remaining work.

When completed, the village will own the structures.

The students won’t be paid for their labor. “But this will be good, real-world experience for the students,” Gill said.

In a memo to village trustees, Senior Village Planner Isabel Guadarrama and Community Development Director Amanda Orenchuk called the project “a valuable opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience.”

Lumber, drywall panels, shingles, siding and other materials needed for the sheds will be purchased at the Home Depot store on Route 60 in Mundelein, documents indicate.

Home Depot offered discounts on some items that will save taxpayers about $3,000, according to Guadarrama and Orenchuk’s memo.

The board approved the contract with the high school district and the purchase order without opposition and with little discussion. Trustee Daniel Juarez said he was excited to see the project move forward.

Once the structures are complete, the village may make at least one available to Mundelein High for educational or entrepreneurial purposes, the contract states. A lease would need to be negotiated.

rlissau@dailyherald.com