A downtown Clarendon Hills business is seeking financial assistance from the village for a planned move next door from the storefront it’s occupied since 2010 and into a larger space.
The English Garden Flower Shop has built a following since opening at 8 S. Prospect Ave. Sadie Belman, an owner of the shop, is under contract to purchase the former Ebenezer’s Gift Shop building at 10-14 S. Prospect, which has been vacant since the previous owner died in 2017.
Belman said Wednesday that the former gift shop space will provide about double the amount of room for the front of the store, along with the opportunity to have a greenhouse in the back.
“There are a lot of exciting things being planned, as things progress,” Belman said. “It will still be as charming, but with more space to do additional things.”
More Top Picks Best Premium Weighted Blankets
Belman plans to renovate the new space to accommodate the flower shop on the ground floor and have a residence on the second floor. She has requested assistance from the village for the costs associated with installing a required fire alarm, suppression system, elevator and washroom facilities that meet standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act, along with money for costs related to restoration of the building’s facade and mansard roof.
Belman is seeking a financial commitment from the village of about $152,000 from funds generated by the Downtown Tax Increment Financing District to go toward total restoration costs, estimated at $300,000. She is also asking for $10,000 toward $20,000 in estimated costs for aesthetic improvements.
“This is exactly why we created the TIF, for people who are committed to the village, like Sadie, looking to expand their businesses,” said Village Board member Greg Jordan. “She is, in a sense, the perfect person because she’s not only bringing something to the village, but expanding her business to both within the village and outside of it. She brings so much positive energy to the village.”
Dan Ungerleider, Clarendon Hills’ community development director, agreed.
“The English Garden Flower Shop has been a leading provider of sales tax, customer traffic and employment in downtown Clarendon Hills since it joined our business community in 2010,” he said. “Its customer reach is proven to reach well beyond the village’s borders.”
Board member Wil Freve said he liked the idea of using TIF funds to update a vacant space, which is “functionally obsolete,” to make it usable.
Belman said she is excited about expanding her business in Clarendon Hills.
“We really, really love our downtown,” she said. “We cannot think of being anywhere else and doing this. I personally love old buildings and am looking forward to making this building something that will go forward in the downtown.”
The Village Board is scheduled to vote in May on official approval of Belman’s request for financial assistance.