Century Tile will close all 4 of its locations

Century Tile, the iconic Chicago-area tile and carpet retailer, announced its permanent closure and liquidation of its four remaining stores this month.

The stores are in Mount Prospect, Itasca, Lombard and Cicero.

Founded by Frank Parks Sr. and Paul Spiewak Sr., Century Tile has been in business 73 years. The two founders met in college, according to a news release from the company. Parks and Spiewak registered the name Century Supply Co. with Cook County when they were 19 and 20, respectively. Spiewak died in 2013 and Parks in 2020, according to the news release.

The first store was on Austin Avenue, and the company eventually expanded to 12 retail warehouses across the area, the release said.

Spiewak's daughter, Kathy, met her husband, John Boyle, when he was working in the warehouse and she was a bookkeeper in one of the stores. The two ended up managing the store operations until their recent retirement, the new release said.

Surplus Asset Management will sell all inventory, store fixtures and equipment in a sale that will begin April 26, the news release said.