Wonder! Pushes Back Opening Date to December

Wonder!, the mega-store for children occupying the former Great Indoors space in Deerbrook Mall, needs more time to get its operations running, according to company officials. 

The company plans to open the store by December 1, and cited a lagging economy as the primary reason behind the delay.

Bill Colaianni, president and CEO of the Illinois limited-liability corporation, sent a letter to Deerfield’s village trustees and mayor requesting an extension to its special use permit, changing its opening deadline from the June 1 target date to December 1. Ventures of more than 100,000 square feet require special use permits from the village. 

“While we made this commitment in good faith, our fund raising efforts have taken significantly longer than expected due to the unprecedented length and impact of the economic downturn,” Colaianni wrote.

Colianni did not return Patch’s messages seeking comment.

Colaianni also wrote that recent gains in the company’s funding efforts allow him to “see a clear path” to opening the store later this year.

Wonder! garnered significant media attention last summer when Lake Forest investor Shane Christensen announced plans to open the first Wonder! in Deerfield, eventually hoping to branch out from there.

“We’re really excited about the concept and (about) using space that has been vacant for some time,” said Jeff Rychaert, Deerfield’s principal planner. Rychaert said Wonder! told the village it plans to bring approximately 250 retail and 35 corporate jobs. 

The store will specialize in apparel, shoes, furniture and toys for children up to 7 years of age.

The Deerfield Mall location of approximately 135,000 square feet is slated to include both the retail space and corporate offices. The retail space promises so-called experiential shopping, with a large, supervised indoor park for children to enjoy, as well as a restaurant and coffee shop for parents.

The approval of the extension also includes extension of the village’s economic incentive agreement with Wonder!. That agreement allows tax rebates if the corporation exceeds $25 million in annual sales, Rychaert said.