Empty retail store in Geneva seeks tenant

We've played this guessing game before, and this question has certainly popped into the minds of many area residents.

What type of business would want to set up shop in the now-empty Sports Authority site in Geneva along Randall Road?

It's easy to envision an answer of "no one," particularly if you operate under the premise that physical retail locations are about to go the way of the dinosaur.

After attending a recent retail conference in Chicago, I came away with this belief: The very smart retailers understand that online shopping and physical retail locations are going to complement each other rather than conflict.

They are calling an omnichannel or multichannel experience, where our mobile devices, online shopping and a physical store all work as one to create a shopping routine.

Of more concern, possibly, for retailers looking at Randall Road as a very happy place to set up shop is the age-old retail math: How many similar stores are in the area, and what type of shoppers can we draw from miles around?

Geneva economic development director Cathleen Tymoszenko said the city has been in touch with some potential suitors, those being retailers who are missing pieces to the Randall puzzle, but nothing can happen until the building owners get through the bankruptcy process with Sports Authority.

There is a bit of a challenge in that the building has only one loading dock, but Tymoszenko said the city is confident it can overcome that obstacle and spark some interest in what is a great location along Randall.

I was thinking maybe a successful retailer like The Buckle would find this area workable. Or maybe a place like World Market would see a benefit in moving to Randall from the east side of St. Charles.

My wife laughed when I said how about an IKEA? So that must mean no. She says the Sports Authority site is too small for that.

Nice school grounds:

You never noticed something like this when you were a kid filing into elementary school. But, as an adult, you have to tip your hat to maintenance and grounds crews or volunteers who work hard to make the entryways at some schools look nice with flowers and other landscaping.

It's not as if I checked out every school in the area, so this isn't a contest. But it's hard for Harrison Street School in Geneva to not catch your attention as you come near the front entrance and the area near the flagpole.

Yes, it looks best in the summer when the kids actually aren't in school, but there are enough months before winter takes over in which school landscaping can shine.

Through snail mail:

Georgene O'Dwyer of Batavia recently made my day on two counts.

First, in response to a mention in a past column in which I was wondering if anyone still hangs clothes outside to dry, she acknowledged that she does indeed still hang clothes on a clothesline when the weather allows it.

Second, she let me know with an actual handwritten letter sent to the Daily Herald office in Arlington Heights and forwarded to me.

I don't see letters via the written word too often these days, and it was a nice change. Georgene noted that her habit of hanging clothes was hard to break, considering she is 83 years old.

That must also explain making the effort to write a letter and mail it. That, unfortunately, has become somewhat of an old habit that not many have kept.

Thanks, Georgene, for sticking with your old habits.

Eats and art:

Art lovers who appreciate a heads-up well in advance of an event will like this item: The Geneva Arts Council's third annual Eat Your Art Out event will be held Nov. 5 at the Herrington Inn and Spa. Put it on your calendar now.

Featured art for the event is on display in the Herrington's lobby through October, and those pieces will go to the top bidders the night of the dinner.

dheun@sbcglobal.net