This is exactly the kind of business Lemont does not need or want. Another great swing and a miss by the Lemont Village Board. It almost makes you wonder if the members that voted in favor for this are actually residents of Homer Glen...I guess thats one way to lower your property taxes by depreciating the value of your home with that kind of business. I cant wait to see how this improves the community.

This is very bad news.

What’s next, a methadone clinic on the other end? Mayor Reeves please pay attention to Lemont instead of your political career.

They are filling an empty building with a business and you people are complaining about it. What is wrong with you?

Yet another reason to want to leave this loser village!

@Pat...Nothing is wrong with putting new buisness in Lemont. It's the stigma attached to this particular store that it seems people have a problem with. This is the perfect forum to debate why the Village Board approved this and I, for one, would like to know if there were any other buisness' interested in that site.

As a 20+ year resident, I am extremely upset & disappointed by this decision. Interesting how quickly & quietly the village got this through. A little more time & thought could have gone into this decision and would have resulted in a better choice for a new business in Lemont.

It is important to remember that the Village Board does not vote on these items. If a parcell of land is zoned retail and a retail business rents the space from the landlord and the business does not need any variance, then the business can not be prohibited form coming to Lemont. In regards to strip clubs they are under a different zoning regulation and would not be permitted in that area. If anyone has any questions please do not hesitate to contact me at 630-257-1590

Mayor Brian Reaves

Bad decision....really disappointed. Someone needs to start thinking in a circle.

The owners of 1146 State should think about reconfiguring their larger retail spaces. It would make them easier to rent and they would have less vacant space.

It is surprising that the old Wendy's space has been vacant for so long. That is an attractive location for a business. Same goes for the old gas station space. What are the owners doing to market this space?

We already have a wonderful thrift store in Lemont that is a main income source for Garden Center Services. Garden Center serves adults with disabilities , some of whom are residents of Lemont. The store is neat, organized and the volunteers are great. I am concerned that the Goodwill Store will impact this wonderful store and then we not only will have another open /empty store in Downtown Lemont, but this agency will be hurt as well.

So here's an idea for everyone who is complaining (believe me, I'd want something else too, I'm in agreement). But what you CAN do, is continue to support the thrift shop downtown and bring your business to THEM. That's the competition right? I've given them donations in the past but never actually been in the store, but I hear really REALLY good things about that business. So for those of you upset about GoodWill, make your choice and support the other one.

This reminds me of the brewhaha that went on when Aldi's was coming. All the noise about property values going down, etc. Have to wonder why people would think that. I think Second Chance will do just fine as it has built a powerful network of supporters that come from as far away as Evergreen Park. The Goodwill Store might actually bring Second Chance more business because people that stop in there may hear about the original "recycle" store in town and head down there.

And speaking of bringing property values down--I would've thought if anything did that it would be that horribly tacky looking gold place behind Starbucks.

I like Goodwill stores. I stop at the Boughton location often. It's hit or miss shopping, but a lot of fun when you find a treasure! I've purchased puzzles, books and games for my classroom, McCoy pottery, and a lot of fun vintage items for parties and funny gifts for friends! My mom found a beautiful Ann Taylor sweater for $5 with tags on. Mike Wolfe, from American Pickers, was up there promoting repurposing and talking about the impact green companies like Goodwill make. I've even converted my husband into stepping foot in. He was reluctant too, but I found him a Greg Normal golf shirt with tags for $3. He came with the next time I went and came out with his own bag. I'm looking forward to shopping there.

you people that are complaining about a goodwill coming to lemont. Do you ever go to garage sales? its the same thing, only its like hitting 50 garage sales at once, and with the price of gas???also, this store also is good for low income families in lemont so that maybe they can still live in lemont and their home not become another forclosure..

I shop at the one at Woodridge and it is one of the most clean shops ect. I love to read and to be able to purchase books at those prices is fantastic. Then I donate them back...

There is nothing wrong with shopping at a thrift, consignment, or resale shop of any nature. The issue is, Does Lemont need another one? Garage sales are great as they come and go with the good weather, but do we want a permanent garage sale as the "Flagship" store of Lemont? I understand some people have had good experiences at Goodwills in other communities, I hope you continue to shop there. But you can not compare lemont to Woodridge (population 33k that is home to many big companies, but not a Goodwill- sorry) Bollingbrook (population 73k) or Naperville (population 145k) as these villages have countless other businesses that bring tax dollars into their communities. The Village board may not vote on which businesses can occupy retail space, but I'm sure SOMEONE has to approve a certain license for that business. At some point a village of Lemonts size may not need another deli, grocery, or thrift store. It's actually funny that with gas prices over $4.00/gal we still cant get someone to fill the vacant EYESORE formerly known as BP on State Road, maybe Mayor Reaves can address that?

Personally, as a teenager, I am excited about this news. These stores always have great finds and at low prices. I go to the thrift store downtown as well, but it is always fun to go to other thrift stores to find something else. Everytime I want to go to a Goodwill I have to drive pretty far to go. Having it so close is going to be great. I do not think this is bad news for Lemont or that it will make Lemont look any less respectable.

Kevin,

I can address your questions. After a business is ready to open the building department along with the fire department give there approval and then the business licence is given to the company. In regards to the some of the other vacancies, the same owner where Goodwill is going in at owns the old Wendy's and BP location. Gas stations in Cook county are at a disadvantage when it comes to taxes as compared to Will and DuPage. For example the property tax on the Wendy's location before it closed was close to $50,000.00 per year, and even if we as a Board abated our portion it still would not make them competitive. I can tell you we have worked very hard to fill the vacant retail we have and I hope that some of the announcements of other companies moving to town will be made very soon.

The state legislature has made it almost impassable to leave a county. Because we are in 3 counties now, we would have to have a referendum for all of cook county to vote on to release Lemont and then have it on the ballot in what ever county we would want to join to approve us joining. The reason for this is that it affects all tax paying residents in the counties.

I hope this answers your question.

Have a happy Easter.

Brian Reaves

DuPage county was part of Cook county from 1831 until DuPage was formed in 1839. Cook kept Lemont Township because it was a stop on the I&M canal and because of the Quarries. Being part of Cook also allowed the DesPlaines river valley to be in it's jurisdiction as real estate parcels were being handed out. Cook had all the power, Du Page was new and will was all farms except for Joliet. That's why the hook in the map. Lemont didn't become a governing town until 1873 when it incorporated.

All you "high class" people who didn't leave your full name but jumped on the Village Board for, you think. approving the Goodwill store obviously like and need more government in your lives. It is still a somewhat free country. The property owner has in investment and rights as will the business that exends dollars and takes risk for what ever rewards it will glean out of the venture. Goodwill is a lot better than an empty building! Second, Goodwill is a great recycling effort...good for the environment and your pocket book. I spent most of my life making something out of nothing! That is how you get into the 1% group. Those of you who don't like the GW store...don't shop there. When you drive by think about the name GOODWILL and maybe your life and relationships will improve. And, do your homework. Undeserved blasting of your elected officials will only encourage them to try and take more control of your life in the future.

Ed, Thanks for your insiteful comments.

Wow! Everyone needs to realize that even towns like Oakbrook and Glen Ellyn has second hand shops! I sure love going to Nordstroms but today's economy has made goodwill stores a little more affordable for my budget. I have lived in this town for over 20 years and have seen business come and go but not because they where not good enough, it was because "we" being the village residents have not been avid supporters.
Do any of you wonder why we don't have a Panerra or Chilies restaurant when every other town does? It's because we don't have enough people to back these places up. At least Goodwill is a name everyone recognizes. Plus I remember when the 355 extension was considered a horrible thing, but do you take that route now? YES

I'm a college student and working full time money is tight right now with my family. A goodwill store is perfect for our area. Everyone here needs to open their eyes and not be so judgemental. If you hate it so much just move. This is starting a new trend and it's nice to see a vacant building being turned into something useful. Everyone needs to open their eyes and realize how this will actually help us out.

Does anyone here realize that we live in Lemont? We're not Naperville or Hinsdale. We're Lemont. Not some high income, classy area. Lemont.

Drop the attitude, and accept the fact that GoodWill should do our local economy a favor.

Good comments. I just don't ever recall Goodwill being on the list of suggestions for what people wanted a number of months ago.
Why can't we do something like Bolingbrook did with the "Promenade"..?...along 355?
You have to go out of Lemont for so many things.
If the Goodwill store helps the teenagers...great....
There is basically nothing for teenagers in Lemont.

I for one completely oppose the building of this store. Not only is it a complete waste of resources, but statistics show crime rates increase greatly in areas with low class businesses such as this. This is NOT the kind of thing I want in this town. Whoever moved to approve this without asking the public's opinion should have their current role in the Lemont government re-evaluated.

John...You could help yourself and tune up your attitude by taking a few courses on local government and their powers. There is a lot that happens that you or I or the village really have little control over. It's call FREEDOM and the right to quiet and peaceful enjoyment of your property and the application of it's best and highest use. Those rights extend over to the owners of the GW property. If enough people in Lemont wanted to exercise control over that property...they should have bought or leased it! You just have to put on your "big boy" pants and learn to be more tollerant. I struggle with that sometime myself but I'm getting better.

Please tell us whose resources are being wasted and what those resources are? A very valid, clean, community based business is coming into an area that has many vacancies and they are sprucing the place up. They will be collecting and paying taxes on said business. How is that bad for Lemont?

How is this a "low class business"? Are Second Chance, Smokey Row, Greta's Attic, "low class" businesses? No, they are not. They all sell "previously owned items" as does Good Will. They all give back to the community as I'm sure Good Will will.

What some people apparently don't understand is that the majority of the folks that shop there will find out about Second Chance, they'll see the other businesses in the area (wait until they check out the great prices at Chipain's!) and shop there also. More money for Lemont!

And Mr. Jim Jones--if you're implying (and we all know you are) that only drug addicts shop at the Good Will, you obviously don't know your town or the people living in it as much as you'd like to think. There are a LOT of Lemonters that shop at 2nd hand stores. Some of the folks that live in the most expensive homes are regulars at Second Chance here, the Salvation Army store in Darien and the Good Will store in Bolingbrook. How do I know? Because #1, I've seen them and #2, they've told me!

One last thing--many of the room and home makeover shows I watch brag about the great deals they've found at Good Wills and other second hand stores. If it's good enough for them...

Well Kerry....I'm not up on Lemont boundaries or property but what about along 355?
Or how about by Archer/8s where Lemont paid $1,380,000 to buy land and demolsih the 2 Rivers Event Center...?
http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/lemont/newsnow/x2095084835/Village-of-Lemont-demolishes-Two-Rivers-and-Jaguar-Club
What are we doing with this property?...Seems like it would be great for big box store etc...Seems like there is a lot of traffic on83/Archer?
Also,. I received Lemont's "Memory Maker".....wow...3 events for teens !
How about making the bowling alley into a teen/family center?

Goodwill stores are not like the Salvation Army Thrift Stores. They are clean, run by people who care and the clothing and articles they have are from stores like Carsons, Target, Joanne Fabrics, and more. Check it out before you bash it! As long as they are picky about the items they sell as they have been, then all will be fine. If they turn into a Salvation Army Thrift Store, then there is going to be trouble. That store sells so many stained and torn clothing items and crap. They need to revamp their stores and donate that stuff to the missions. The Spree store is another nice store that is kept up well and is a great place to shop for resale. I've found Lily Pullitzer, Gap, Justice, Nordstrom, Juicy Couture clothing at Goodwill. I also found Taylor Made golf clubs and great books in great condition for just a few dollars. Take a look people before you voice your negativity. Goodwill is a great place. Think about it. If the people who are commenting negatively are high class wealthy people, then donate your stuff there and we'll have more good stuff to buy at great prices. What do you so called wealthy upper class people do with your overflow from your houses, clothes you no longer want? Now you have a place to donate all that stuff to. I'm sure you don't have garage sales. That would be beneathe you! Right?!?! Try out Goodwill and then comment!

I really don't see what the big deal is? Burr ridge n hinsdale is a far cry from lemont folks. Just FYI. It's a store. U go in n buy something. Ur dumpy city is making money on the taxes n thus. Can't over it.

OK. I apologize for calling lemont "dumpy" but the reasoning is behind kevin's ignirant and ill informed statements. Lemont is an average American town that happens to have goodwill store. as well as Scottsdale, as well as Naperville, etc... Lemont isn't all that and a bag a chips to be above the location of a goodwill store that people of all economic backgrounds shop at. Get over it. It's a good thing. And I was just there and you know what? Their is alot of merchandise that is new and donated from target. Oprah shops @ target. Kevin, do u have more cash than Oprah
? And yes I am a teacher teaching your youngsters :)

Look on the bright side. This will give the two nigs that live here a place to shop!

@Nancy Botwin you are a racist fuck. Seriously, go live somewhere else.

I live in lockport and I now have a reason to go to Lemont. No i'm not a "nig" I'm white. You guys did a good thing, keep it up. :)