Pottery Barn on Randall Road to close, but village eyeing big revamp of Algonquin Commons

The Pottery Barn in Algonquin Commons is closing, but village officials expect the retail space won’t stay vacant for long.

Williams-Sonoma, parent company of Pottery Barn, has been cutting back on its brick-and-mortar presence. The Pottery Barn in downtown Naperville shut down earlier this year, and the Algonquin store is set to follow suit.

Despite the closing, the village remains optimistic about the future of Algonquin Commons and plans for a major transformation of the Randall Road shopping center.

“While we’re losing Pottery Barn, we’ve seen a ton of interest from retailers in locating there,” said Jason Shallcross, the village’s community development director. “We are not concerned at all about vacancies at the Commons moving forward.”

Red Mountain Group acquired Algonquin Commons out of receivership last year. At the time, the California-based investment firm announced plans for a $30 million revitalization effort. About 25% of the center’s space was vacant.

The new owner envisioned an indoor-outdoor entertainment area to host movie nights, al fresco dining, holiday events and other gatherings.

Now Red Mountain Group is proposing a “substantial investment” – a $90 million project – that would elevate Algonquin Commons from a traditional shopping center to a regional “all-in-one” entertainment and retail district, Shallcross said.

The village should see revised plans from Red Mountain Group early in the new year. Mall ownership could break ground on the renovations as early as this spring, with construction taking place in the following 16 to 24 months, Shallcross said Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Red Mountain Group “is working diligently” to fill the Pottery Barn space with a replacement tenant, he said. It’s unclear when the home furnishings store officially will close its doors, but Shallcross anticipates the final day will be sometime in the next month.

“We are very close to having something to announce, and we should have a tenant secured first quarter of next year,” he said.

The shopping center has landed several national retailers since Red Mountain Group purchased the 600,000-square-foot property. The shopping center is now just about 10% vacant, Shallcross said.

“There’s a lot of buzz going around the Commons right now,” he said.

Ashley Furniture, Barnes & Noble and X-Golf are among the latest additions to Algonquin Commons.

https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20221227/pottery-barn-on-randall-road-to-close-but-village-eyeing-big-revamp-of-algonquin-commons