A compromise has been reached on what the Elgin Mall will be named when it opens next month in its new East Dundee location.
Elgin Mall Corp. officials wanted to keep its current moniker, which it went by for the more than two decades it was located in Elgin and from where they expect many of their regular customers to come. But village officials feared the name would be confusing to people not familiar with the business and wondering what it was doing on an East Dundee building.
The solution approved by the East Dundee Village Board last week satisfied both. It will be named the Elgin Mall of East Dundee.
The Elgin Mall, an indoor market made up of independent vendors, was a longstanding shopping venue on Elgin’s Mclean Boulevard. When the building owners decided in 2022 to end its arrangement with the vendors, the businesses were given time to form a corporation and find a new location.
They settled on the former Dominick’s grocery store at 575 Dundee Ave. in East Dundee and signed a 15-year lease.
With the renovation of the building nearly complete, the Elgin location closed last month and 60 vendors are preparing to open in the new location in May.
Corporation officials initially planned to change the mall’s name with the move but realized as time went on that they didn’t want to lose the brand by which customers knew them.
East Dundee Village Administrator Erika Storlie said they felt strongly that it was “critically important to their customer base and did not wish to change it.”
It became an issue, however, when signage went to the East Dundee Village Board for approval.
As Storlie noted at a board meeting a few weeks ago, “any business can name their business whatever they choose. We can’t regulate what a business chooses to call itself. The only regulation is if (the name) is profane or obscene.”
But trustees had concerns, saying the sign would be confusing to people in the area — especially because the business’ location is at the gateway to the village. They asked that the mall representatives consider an alternate name.
The compromise suggested was found acceptable by board members.
“I appreciate that they made the change to Elgin Mall of East Dundee,” Trustee Kathleen Mahony said at last week’s meeting where signage was approved.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
