Pottery Barn plans Joliet outlet store

Pottery Barn plans to open an outlet store in Joliet on a trial basis.

The outlet store going into a former Gander Mountain location is among a few projects in the works in the vicinity of the Louis Joliet Mall. Chick-fil-A continues to make plans for a restaurant, and Dollar General is filling another vacancy.

Pottery Barn, a furniture and home furnishings retailer, will take out a one-year lease on the big-box location and hopes to open by the holidays, said Derek Conley, Joliet’s economic development specialist.

“Then, hopefully, if they’re successful they’ll extend [the lease] for a longer time period,” Conley said.

There was no sign of activity at the empty store Wednesday.

Gander Mountain, a camping and sporting goods store that went into bankruptcy, closed the Joliet location more than two years ago. The store is located across Route 30 from the Louis Joliet Mall.

“It’s one of our big boxes that we’re happy to see filled,” Conley said.

Meanwhile, the city continues to look forward to an empty Lone Star restaurant to be replaced by Chick-fil-A.

“The Chick-fil-A is still going forward,” Conley said. “They just have a lot of complications because the Lone Star was in a floodplain.”

The Lone Star restaurant will be demolished and replaced by the Chick-fil-A. Floodplain issues need to be addressed before construction can start, Conley said.

A Family Video store vacated recently at the corner Essington and Caton Farm roads will be filled with a Dollar General store.

Dollar General signs are up at the store, although there was no sign of activity inside. Conley did not have a date for a store opening.

Representatives from Dollar General and Pottery Barn did not respond to requests for information.