"The existing Going, Going, Gone! space will remain there. Then we're actually demolishing the Discovery space and the former Ulta space, and then we'll combine all of it into one large space."
That was Rich Dippolito, vice president of Re/Development at Brixmor Property Group, explaining why three familiar stores in Westridge Court are changing addresses. Brixmor developed Block 59 and Westridge Court at the northeast corner of Route 59 and Aurora Avenue. Ulta, Discovery Clothing and Going, Going, Gone! are moving to make room for a home-goods and furniture store. Nobody has publicly named it yet. Naperville specifically wanted that kind of store, and shoppers inside the district are the ones paying for the incentive that brings it in.
If you've wondered why your usual Route 59 stops keep moving, the answer goes back to one empty building and one tax decision from June.
Who Moved Where, and When
Here's the sequence so far, based on local reporting through late September 2026:
- Mid-April 2026: Painted Tree Boutiques closed suddenly after management announced it was shutting down right away.
- Sept. 13: Going, Going, Gone! temporarily closed its Aurora Avenue store.
- By Sept. 24: Ulta Beauty had already reopened at 220 S. Route 59.
- Sept. 25: L.L.Bean opened its store of more than 16,000 square feet at 336 S. Route 59.
- Oct. 14, scheduled: Going, Going, Gone! plans to reopen around the corner at 204 Route 59, the former Painted Tree Boutiques space.
- This fall: Discovery Clothing Co. is set to move to 576 S. Route 59, near Ross Dress for Less and Burlington.
The new Ulta and the new Going, Going, Gone! are next-door neighbors, so a quick Saturday errand that used to cover two spots in Westridge Court still covers them both. As of today, Oct. 4, the Going, Going, Gone! reopening is still ten days away. A quick call before you drive over makes sense.
The Empty Storefront That Made the Shuffle Possible
The timing works because of the Painted Tree closure. That spring closure left an open space close by. Going, Going, Gone! could move into it instead of leaving the center, and its old spot stays standing as part of the new retailer's footprint.
Dippolito told the City Council in June that about 28,000 square feet of existing retail space would be torn down. He estimated demolition plus reinforcing a shared wall with the space next door at $1.85 million. The size has been reported a few ways. The Daily Herald called it a 56,000-square-foot building, and NCTV17 later called it a 97,000-square-foot building. The city's agreement explains the difference. It describes a 54,154-square-foot addition to an existing 49,604-square-foot structure, for about 97,000 square feet of retail space in total.
Block 59 Spent a Year and a Half Filling Up With Restaurants
The furniture store also changes what Block 59 has been so far. Most of the openings over the past 18 months were places to eat:
- Shake Shack at 404 S. Route 59, March 12, 2025
- The Cheesecake Factory at 428 S. Route 59, June 2025
- First Watch, its second Naperville location, July 2025
- Piccolo Buco, Aug. 25, 2025
- CRISP & GREEN, grand opening Nov. 11, 2025
- Velvet Taco, November 2025
- Yard House, grand opening Nov. 23, 2025
- CAVA, Jan. 12, 2026
- Ruth's Chris Steak House, March 2026
This summer the district added public art. The first large mural, on the east wall shared by CAVA, CRISP & GREEN and Velvet Taco, was finished in late June 2026. Work on a second mural on the south side of Five Below started July 30, and it was getting finishing touches by Aug. 20.
L.L.Bean started the retail phase. The Sept. 25 opening is the brand's first in Chicago's western suburbs and its fourth in Illinois. To celebrate, its 13-foot-tall Bootmobile toured Naperville, and the company gave $10,000 to the Fry Family YMCA for summer camp access. The store carries the brand's full apparel and footwear lineup, including the Bean Boot, Field Coat and Boat and Tote. The next big anchor is meant to sell something Naperville doesn't sell much of.
Why the City Wanted a Furniture Store Specifically
At the June council meeting, Mayor Scott Wehrli said Naperville leads the suburbs in many retail categories but lags in furniture and home goods. He cited a Melaniphy & Associates report showing Naperville had $198 million in home goods and furniture sales in 2024. That's $25 million less than in 2019.
Glenview led the suburbs at $661 million, helped by an Abt electronics store that draws shoppers from across the region. Wehrli said he hopes the new Westridge Court retailer becomes a similar destination that brings in shoppers from other communities.
So the gap is $198 million against $661 million, and it's been shrinking the wrong way since 2019. Furniture shopping happens less often than dinner, but each purchase is bigger. A large home-goods store also pulls in drivers from outside town in a way another fast-casual restaurant usually doesn't.
Not everyone was sold. Two council members questioned whether the city needed to offer sales tax incentives to bring a larger retailer to Naperville. In the end, the council approved both amendments to the Block 59 Business District Plan and redevelopment agreement on June 16, 2026.
Who Actually Pays for It
This is the detail most people miss. City officials said the incentive doesn't come from property taxes. It comes from a special 1% tax on goods and services bought inside the Block 59 business district, in effect since July 1, 2023.
The June amendment adds up to $1.85 million in reimbursement for demolition and shared-wall work. That raises Brixmor's reimbursement ceiling from $13.4 million to $15.25 million. It doesn't extend the original 23-year term or change the 1% rate. The special tax ends after 23 years or when the full amount is paid, whichever comes first.
The new money is paid as it comes in. It sits behind the original note and can only be paid from district tax receipts left over after the original note is covered. Wehrli's argument for this is simple: "We believe we will be retiring our debt even faster with them here." In practice, every Yard House tab and every Ulta receipt inside the district helps pay down the deal. A busy furniture store adds more to that pool, and the 1% tax could end sooner.
The Part Nobody Has Announced Yet
The city won't approve the added incentive until a lease is signed. In June, Dippolito said he expected the lease to be signed by the end of that month, with a public announcement soon after. NCTV17's Sept. 24 report still described the tenant only as a "home goods furniture retailer" and gave no opening schedule. The city's agreement doesn't list an opening date either.
So three stores have already moved or are moving for a tenant that hasn't been named in public, three months after the name was expected. Brixmor has also said it's considering a third mural for the new building's wall, which would join the ones on the CAVA building and Five Below. For now, the next confirmed date at Westridge Court is Going, Going, Gone!'s scheduled reopening at 204 Route 59 on Oct. 14.
Living near Route 59 and wondering how a new destination store at Aurora Avenue might affect your own plans down the road? I keep up with changes like these as they happen and I'm glad to talk through what they mean for your home. Stephanie Staneart is here when you're ready. Schedule Your Free Consultation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
