Edens Plaza Sale Pending, Wayfair Flagship To Fill Carson's Box

WILMETTE, IL — Village officials announced a developer has struck a deal to buy Edens Plaza and lease its anchor space to an e-commerce company looking to get into the business of brick-and-mortar buildings.

Developer WS Development has arranged to lease the two-story former Carson Pirie Scott store — the shopping center's anchor space that has been vacant since 2018 — to the online home goods retailer Wayfair.

Representatives of the two companies are scheduled to present their idea in concept to the village board on Tuesday. No action is planned, but it will give trustees and residents a first look at plans for the future of one of the village's key sources of revenue.

The more than 150,000-square-foot store would be among Wayfair's first flagship locations and has a targeted opening date in mid-2023, according to an announcement from village staff.

Last month, WS Development and Wayfair announced plans to open physical stores in Massachusetts, where both firms are based, by the end of this year.

Those stores will operate under the specialty brands AllModern and Joss & Main, while Edens Plaza has the potential to be the first Wayfair-branded store in operation, according to company representatives.

“It’s a privilege to have the opportunity to bring a first-to-market experience to the community of Wilmette in Wayfair and to help steward the evolution of a place that’s served the community so well and for so long," Dick Marks, vice chairman and partner at WS Development, said in a statement. "We look forward to working with the Village to position Edens Plaza for its next chapter.”

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In addition to its lease with Wayfair, the developer plans to invest in modernizing facades and landscaping at the property, according to village staff and materials provided ahead of Tuesday's meeting. It said there was strong demand from national, local and regional tenants to get in on the redevelopment.

"WS’s goal aesthetically will be to complement the new Wayfair store by brightening the existing red brick facades with a more modern, simplified palette – treating the brick with two tones of white washing to break up the length and scale of the buildings," according to a presentation from the developer. "WS also plans to introduce additional landscape elements including vertical climbing plants, additional planters along the sidewalks, and new plantings to add color and visual interest."

Village President Senta Plunkett welcomed the development, describing it as an "incredibly exciting opportunity" for the community.

“Filling this strategic space has been a long-standing economic development priority of the Village Board," Plunkett said in a statement, "we are thrilled that WS Development and Wayfair will help to reinvigorate Edens Plaza.”