Lombard grants funds to downtown cabinet shop

A Lombard cabinet shop that will conduct both wholesale and retail business will receive an $11,737 downtown retail business grant from the village.

The grant is designed to help businesses with startup costs by providing matching funds for capital improvements.

Eligible businesses must be in downtown Lombard’s defined boundaries centering on Main Street and St. Charles Road. They must have at least a three-year lease and be retail businesses, or service businesses with a substantial retail component.

Trustees admit some of the cabinet shop’s business will come from wholesale sales, and a cabinet store does not perfectly fit the vision for the property under the recently approved downtown revitalization plan. But they voted 5-1 in favor of granting the money anyway.

“Is it the most ideal retail situation that we could hope for? Obviously not,” Trustee Keith Giagnorio said. “But it is something. There will be some retail going on down there.”

Approval came with plenty of debate about whether Cabinet Depot, 14 W. St. Charles Road, truly meets the grant’s criteria.

Much of the opposition came from resident Tom Masterson, who said approving Cabinet Depot’s request contradicts the purpose of the grant, which is to promote a mix of retail, including clothing stores, music stores and electronics stores.

“They’ve got to follow the purpose of the grant, not just hand out money,” Masterson said.

But home improvement stores also are listed as a targeted category in the grant’s program eligibility requirements.

Cabinet Depot fits all the eligibility requirements, newly seated Trustee Peter Breen said. And beyond judging whether an applicant meets the criteria, Breen said it is not a trustee’s role to choose winners and losers in business.

Trustee Greg Gron voiced the sole opposing vote, citing concerns the business will not reach the sales projections that would make the village’s $11,737 investment worthwhile.

“I can’t see it working,” Gron said.

Trustees held a decision on the grant from their last meeting April 21, which gave Giagnorio and others more time to evaluate the business.

“It is a lot of money,” Giagnorio said. “But I say just give it a chance.”