South Suburban Retail News (Chicago, Waukegan: sales, real estate, credit)

[Dr. Blish]

The Matteson Sam’s Club is slatted for closure. Calumet City, Evergreen Park, and the Orland Park area stores will remain open.

6 Chicago-area Sam's Club stores to close - Chicago Tribune

[Dr. Blish]

Matteson is losing yet another retail store.

Toys R Us closing 8 Chicago area stores | abc7chicago.com

Thoughts? Comments? This thread has really slowed down.

[prairiestate]

The mayor is delusional. One of the biggest impediments to redevelopment is being unable to face reality.
Stores that have left Matteson:
Wal Mart
Sam's Club
Target
Toys r Us
TJ Maxx
Best Buy
Michael's
Jo Ann Fabrics
Pier 1
All of Lincoln Mall.

What retailers does she think will open in Matteson?

JC Penney is continuing to, quietly, close a few stores at a time. How long will it last by itself at the back corner of the mall property? Bon Ton, parent of Carson's is near bankruptcy. Meijer just opened over the village limits in Flossmoor. I can't imagime what the future of all this empty space is, but it's certainly not retail.

The only good news in ages is that Pete's Market is coming to the old Dominick's, finally giving them a supermarket for the first time in 5 years.

[Midwest Revival]

Was driving down Lincoln Highway yesterday and noticed all the closed stores, it’s really sad because Matteson was like our Orland at one point

[Army_Guy]

Originally Posted by Midwest Revival

Was driving down Lincoln Highway yesterday and noticed all the closed stores, it’s really sad because Matteson was like our Orland at one point

It sure was. In the 80's and into the mid 90's Matteson was booming in growth.

I believe it's a cycle. Chicago Heights was booming at one point, then Park Forest had the Center, then business moved to Matteson and now it continues west. While I wouldn't say Chicago Heights is booming, it does seem like there are less vacant businesses than Matteson.

But not everything going wrong with Matteson is its fault. A lot of the businesses were not doing well as a whole: Bakers Square, Best Buy, Target, JCP (the original one in the mall), Applebee's, Toys R Us, Sears, etc. Those companies struggled and were looking at stores to close. The old infrastructure of the Matteson stores along with being lower performing made them low hanging fruit.

With the Crook County tax situation, I don't see the situation in Matteson improving. I believe the biggest competitor to Matteson business is the 191st & Harlem plaza, that plaza has grown so much since it first opened. I believe I've read somewhere that that plaza is Will County. Is that correct?

[prairiestate]

I wouldn't say it's a cycle, as Chicago Heights isn't experiencing any kind of rebound. I think it may appear there are fewer vacancies in Chicago Heights just because so many buildings have been demolished.

[Midwest Revival]

Originally Posted by Army_Guy

It sure was. In the 80's and into the mid 90's Matteson was booming in growth.

I believe it's a cycle. Chicago Heights was booming at one point, then Park Forest had the Center, then business moved to Matteson and now it continues west. While I wouldn't say Chicago Heights is booming, it does seem like there are less vacant businesses than Matteson.

But not everything going wrong with Matteson is its fault. A lot of the businesses were not doing well as a whole: Bakers Square, Best Buy, Target, JCP (the original one in the mall), Applebee's, Toys R Us, Sears, etc. Those companies struggled and were looking at stores to close. The old infrastructure of the Matteson stores along with being lower performing made them low hanging fruit.

With the Crook County tax situation, I don't see the situation in Matteson improving. I believe the biggest competitor to Matteson business is the 191st & Harlem plaza, that plaza has grown so much since it first opened. I believe I've read somewhere that that plaza is Will County. Is that correct?

Correct,where the Target is off of I/80, that’s where a lot of folks shop nowadays without having to go to Orland. I think matteson officials should make those former big box stores into industrial joints,

Don’t forget about Cubs on Lincoln highway and Pulaski, been gone a really long time

[CGab]

Originally Posted by prairiestate

The mayor is delusional. One of the biggest impediments to redevelopment is being unable to face reality.
Stores that have left Matteson:
Wal Mart
Sam's Club
Target
Toys r Us
TJ Maxx
Best Buy
Michael's
Jo Ann Fabrics
Pier 1
All of Lincoln Mall.

What retailers does she think will open in Matteson?

JC Penney is continuing to, quietly, close a few stores at a time. How long will it last by itself at the back corner of the mall property? Bon Ton, parent of Carson's is near bankruptcy. Meijer just opened over the village limits in Flossmoor. I can't imagime what the future of all this empty space is, but it's certainly not retail.

The only good news in ages is that Pete's Market is coming to the old Dominick's, finally giving them a supermarket for the first time in 5 years.

It's not just Matteson though. Sam's, Toys R Us and Best Buy are closing a lot of stores. But I agree, as a retailer or business owner I wouldn't open a store there. The area is completely going down hill which is sad because as another poster said it used to be a nice area; however, most of the South Chicago suburbs were nice many years ago and now their going down the tubes!

[Midwest Revival]

Originally Posted by CGab

It's not just Matteson though. Sam's, Toys R Us and Best Buy are closing a lot of stores. But I agree, as a retailer or business owner I wouldn't open a store there. The area is completely going down hill which is sad because as another poster said it used to be a nice area; however, most of the South Chicago suburbs were nice many years ago and now their going down the tubes!

Let’s not make the south burbs sound like one big hell hole, people on this forum tend to do that a lot

[leroy217]

Originally Posted by Army_Guy

It sure was. In the 80's and into the mid 90's Matteson was booming in growth.

I believe it's a cycle. Chicago Heights was booming at one point, then Park Forest had the Center, then business moved to Matteson and now it continues west. While I wouldn't say Chicago Heights is booming, it does seem like there are less vacant businesses than Matteson.

But not everything going wrong with Matteson is its fault. A lot of the businesses were not doing well as a whole: Bakers Square, Best Buy, Target, JCP (the original one in the mall), Applebee's, Toys R Us, Sears, etc. Those companies struggled and were looking at stores to close. The old infrastructure of the Matteson stores along with being lower performing made them low hanging fruit.

With the Crook County tax situation, I don't see the situation in Matteson improving. I believe the biggest competitor to Matteson business is the 191st & Harlem plaza, that plaza has grown so much since it first opened. I believe I've read somewhere that that plaza is Will County. Is that correct?

Yes, this is in Will County. Poor Matteson, I just feel like there is something that should be done. The cyclicality of the situation tends to lend itself to the suburbs being dumped for the city life for millennials. The family sizes are shrinking, which leads to families not wanting larger homes/land.


Also, there is a "brown" elephant in the room no one is addressing. Race plays a large part in the exodus of people from areas like Matteson.


In 20 years, if Matteson is not integrated by non-brown people, I can see it becoming like Chicago Heights/Harvey.