Batavia consignment shop looking for new location

It's been more than seven years since I met Christine Acosta and wrote about her opening a consignment store on the west side of St. Charles in the middle of a rugged economy.

Since that time, she had two stores in St. Charles for a period of time, and sites in Wheaton and South Elgin, while also settling in at a larger building at 16 N. Batavia Ave. in the former Hubbard's Ethan Allen Gallery site.

Most recently, we wrote about the conversion of Acosta's Home Consignment in Batavia to Acosta's Marketplace, in which the building was transformed into 42 rooms for vendors to sell wares in addition to regular consignment items.

But it's been known for some time that the lease at the current site was running out at the end of September. Acosta sent a memo to vendors on Aug. 1 to inform them the building would eventually be demolished as part of an expansion plan for Batavia United Methodist Church.

Because Acosta had a plan, that should have been good news for her and the vendors doing business under the Marketplace roof. Except that plan to move to another site in Batavia hit a roadblock at the worst time.

"The building we have been trying to purchase to move our market has a contamination issue that is preventing us from closing on it," Acosta said. "We have been working with our agent, but finding the right building location that would be perfect for our vendors, then financing it and building it to our plans, can be a long process."

The other site, which Acosta had a contract pending for the past five years, formerly housed a service station north of the current business. The contamination is 17 feet below grade level, Acosta said. There is no threat to the public, she is told, but it creates problems in terms of closing the deal.

She is stressing no one is at fault in terms of the timing of this finding, as everything was fine until ground testing went deeper. Everyone at the city level and her property agent has been trying to help find a new spot.

"While this has been a setback in our market growth, and challenging for us and our vendor partners, the outpouring of kind words and support from our amazing vendors and our longtime customers is what is pushing us forward," Acosta said.

"We have spent years designing the new space, so hopefully we can find that perfect location in Batavia or the surrounding area, and when we do, it's going to be incredible for our vendor family and our customers."

Of importance to Acosta at this point is that she ultimately owns the next building in which the consignment shop and marketplace does business. She does not want to lease space.

The future of the current building has been known for years, Acosta said, and she made sure her vendors had a couple of months notice after the contamination findings, so they would have time to find spaces at other markets if they so desired. Prior to that, she was hoping to simply make a surprise announcement about an exciting new move.

"We didn't formally announce when we were moving because we were waiting for a closing date," she added. "Unfortunately, this was unforeseen and beyond our control."

It's Morton West:

A few readers were quick to point out my mention last week of Morton Grove West being the high school of Ides of March frontman Jim Peterik was wrong.

They were right. No such high school exists in this area.

Peterik went to Morton West in Berwyn. Morton East is in Cicero. Morton Grove West is just another dumb thing that was somehow stuck in my head.

To make this even more annoying, consider this: Our friend who is mentioned in the item as having attended the same high school as Peterik told me prior to my writing that it was Morton West.

When I bumped into Peterik, which is what last week's item was about, and I mentioned his "Through the Eye of The Tiger" book and the school connection with our friend, I mistakenly said Morton Grove West again. He was quick to correct me.

So when it came down to actually writing, I had been told by both people mentioned in that item that it was Morton West. But my stubborn mind had created this mystical Morton Grove West thing, and it wasn't going to let it go without a fight.

Well, it wasn't really a fight. My brain sent the message and my fingers typed it.

Martial arts viewing:

For those not aware of these sorts of things, the UFC 241 is a big mixed martial arts event taking place Saturday, Aug. 17, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

UFC fans know exactly what it is. Those wanting to see it, while also supporting the Batavia VFW Post 1197, can watch UFC 241 that night at the post.

The VFW canteen, 645 S. River St., will host the fight card viewing party from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. A $5 donation is suggested, and there will be craft beer, hot dogs and brats available for purchase.

All of the proceeds support the VFW Post.

That seems early:

For those of us who have been out of high school for nearly 50 years (ouch, it hurts to even write that), the thought of school already being in session is stunning.

It could be I haven't paid attention to school starting times in years - other than when the first football games would be played because I was writing about those for the newspaper - but it was still surprising to see Batavia, St. Charles, Kaneland and Burlington-Central school kids started this week. Geneva kids start school Wednesday, Aug. 21.

I am told the early start has something to do with wanting to have the semester finished prior to the holiday break.

In those long ago days when I was thrashing around the school halls, it all started after Labor Day. We probably went to school until mid June, though. Even if they were looming, I don't recall ever studying for semester exams during the holidays. That just wasn't my shtick.

The school calendar always works itself out, and it isn't like anyone is going two or three more weeks than students in other districts. Plus, if you start early, then losing a few days to a polar vortex doesn't mess things up as much.

Still, the middle of August is summer. The local parks, pools, golf courses and Kane County Cougars would likely agree. It's hard to think of it as being when school starts.

dheun@sbcglobal.net