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Knupper Nursery making comeback of sorts in Palatine

After ending an 86-year run in June, the Knupper name synonymous with all things gardening in Palatine will make a comeback next year on the same Rand Road site, but with a different owner and format.

Napleton's Automotive Group, which is moving two dealerships from Arlington Heights to a long-vacant Rand Road property adjacent to where Knupper Nursery and Landscape operated, plans to use about 3 acres there for a gardening business under the Knupper name.

The automotive group obtained the Knupper name when it bought the former Menards site from the village of Palatine as well as the 5-acre property of Knupper owners Sue and John Heaton.

Starting in the spring, Napleton plans to open a gardening business called Knupper's Seasonal Flower Bargains Inc.

"It'll be a 4-month-a-year-type project," auto group Chairman Stephen Napleton said. "It'll be very popular among the neighborhood and, hopefully, has a good run."

Napleton said the former general manager of Knupper's, Alison Johnson, has been hired to run the new venture. About 30 cashiers and garden assistants will be hired to work in a tent and the retractable-roof greenhouse. Annuals, perennials and gardening-related products will be among the items sold.

Palatine Village Manager Reid Ottesen expressed support for the Knupper reboot.

"That is land that down the road he (Napleton) can use for other purposes, but in the interim, why not put it to use and try to recapture some of the crowd that was always there before," Ottesen said.

Napleton said the financial performance of the new Knupper business model will be reviewed after the 2019 season to decide if it should continue.

"I think it should be successful," Napleton said. "They had a lot of loyal customers that would (shop) every spring and I think we should be able to retain most of them."

Napleton plans to demolish the 52,000-square-foot former Menards store and build a 24,900-square-foot Subaru dealership, 17,362-square-foot Mazda building and 5,000-square-foot car wash on the site. One greenhouse and a sales building that Knupper used also will be torn down.

Palatine village council members this week voted to sell the Menards building and the 9 acres to Napleton for $2.5 million, along with granting approvals for the dealerships and car wash. Napleton said he hopes to open in late 2019 or early 2020.

  Napleton's Automotive Group will move two dealerships from Arlington Heights to a long-vacant Rand Road property owned by the village of Palatine where Menards previously operated. Bob Susnjara/bsusnjara@dailyherald.com
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