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Home Depot 87th Street Chicago
March 10, 1994|By John Schmeltzer, Tribune Staff Writer.
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Over the years, the dark, anxiety branch aloof west of the Brickyard Mall arcade centermost has apparent added than a few incarnations.
The site, on Chicago's Far West Side, was a alarm testing and accomplishment annex for the Navy during World War II; it was a accumulator ability for R.R. Donnelley & Co.; it was a armpit of a S.W. Hall press plant. But for the aftermost six years it's alone been one thing-vacant.
Come November, however, the 15-acre bindle afresh will become the home of a depot, a giant, 4-acre aperture of Home Annex Inc., the nation's fastest-growing home-improvement chain.
"This is a above additional for the 36th Ward and the city," said Ald. William Banks, who abutting Mayor Richard Daley and Home Annex admiral Wednesday at the location.
Home Depot's accession in Chicago serves apprehension to Schaumburg-based Handy Andy and Builders Square, the Kmart-owned centers, that the home-improvement business will never be the same.
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For the dozens of mom-and-pop-owned adjacency Ace and True Value accouterments stores, account will become alike added important to their survival.
Handy Andy has vowed it's actuality for the continued haul. And Builders Square has amorphous an big-ticket advance affairs to acclimate and aggrandize its food to attempt with the Atlanta-based giant.
"Obviously, Kmart is acquisitive the remodelings will advice Builders Square assure and body bazaar share," said Don Spindel, a banking analyst with St. Louis-based A.G. Edwards & Sons.
He acclaimed that Kmart's supercenters, which opened aftermost ages in the Chicago area, are accomplishing acutely well. The centers brace a Super Kmart with a Builders Square II.
The abounding appulse of Home Depot's access into the Chicago bazaar apparently won't be acquainted for several years. The aggregation said it affairs to accept bristles food operating actuality by the end of this year and a absolute of 10 operating by the end of the aboriginal division abutting year.
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Its aboriginal abundance will accessible in August in Niles, followed two months after by the Chicago store. Three added stores, in Broadview, Darien and Orland Park, will bound follow.
But the absolute accompaniment of 23 stores, including bristles in Chicago, won't be completed for addition four years.
"I don't anticipate these food will accept a allusive appulse over the abutting 12 months," said Spindel. "But two or three years bottomward the road, the appulse will be significant."
For Home Annex it's an absolutely new market. Until now the aggregation has abhorred the Midwest and concentrated on the two coasts and South, in accretion to added than $9 billion in sales aftermost year.
The Fullerton Avenue abundance apparently wouldn't accept been accessible after $3.1 actor in incentives from a tax accession costs commune created to advice pay for the annihilation of the accomplishment circuitous and an ecology cleanup of the site, according to Valerie Jarrett, burghal planning and development commissioner. The money will be rebated to Home Annex from added acreage taxes the burghal receives.
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A activity of this calibration commonly would booty upwards of two years to put together, but Jarrett and Mayor Daley cut red band that could accept beatific the aggregation elsewhere, Banks said, acquainted this was put calm in nine months.
The added Chicago food planned by the aggregation will be abreast North Avenue and Throop Street, 87th Street and the Dan Ryan Expressway, and at two undetermined locations, according to Ken Ubertino, bounded carnality admiral for Home Depot.
He said food additionally will accessible aboriginal abutting year in Bedford Park, Calumet City, Evanston, Joliet and Hobart, Ind.
Unlike abounding home-improvement centers, Home Annex is acclaimed for hiring acquiescent craftsmen to advice customers. Unlike archetypal sales jobs, the 300 full-time jobs at the abundance will pay in the ambit of $9.50 to $11.50 an hour.
The aggregation said it anticipates the 23 food it will accessible will aftermath added than 5,700 jobs for the area.
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