Salvation Army no longer interested in vacant Century Tile store in Joliet

JOLIET – The Salvation Army still is looking to open a store in Joliet – but not at the Century Tile and Carpet building it once was going to occupy, an official with the organization said.

The former Century Tile store at 1395 Larkin Ave. has been vacant for months.

At one time, there was a plan for The Salvation Army to move in after Century Tile moved out. The city in June approved the special use permit needed by The Salvation Army to open a resale shop at the location.

Century Tile in August began a close-out sale and later left the building. But The Salvation Army has never moved in.

“We could not unfortunately reach an agreement with the property owner,” said Capt. Jason Schaal with The Salvation Army. “However, we are still very interested in opening a store in Joliet.”

Schaal said The Salvation Army is looking for a different location.

A broker for the Century Tile property had a different version of what happened with The Salvation Army deal.

“The Salvation Army had some change in leadership close to the end of the process,” said John Coleman, executive vice president for Transwestern. “We saw the new leadership didn’t have the same vision for the site as the old leadership.”

The building originally opened as a store for Frank’s Nursery & Crafts, a lawn and garden chain that went out of business.

The 24,000-square-foot building has a large parking lot that Coleman said would make it valuable to a retailer that needs ample parking. He said the property is being marketed to retailers, including national companies, that might be looking for a prime location in Joliet.