2014-01-08

When the Borders stores went bankrupt in 2011, many square feet of retail space across Chicago and the burbs were left vacant. But there's good news for Oak Park, finally, as a Sleepy's Mattress store is going to take that slot. At least two grocers managed to be more successful in former bookseller's spots: the Orland Park store became a Whole Foods Market, and the Crystal Lake site is now a Fresh Market. What's the bad news? Over in Bolingbrook and St. Charles, things remain vacant, but the biggest hole may be in Oak Brook, where a 140,000-square-foot retail is 2/3 empty.

· Towns grow without Borders [Chicago Tribune]
{Image via Oak Park Dot Com]

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