What is happening to Bales Ace Hardware in Westmont?
Bales Ace Hardware at 20 E. Quincy Street is expected to close this fall as its owners retire. The Village of Westmont is buying the property for $3 million as part of assembling a downtown redevelopment site, with the sale scheduled to close January 29.
In 1969 a fire took the entire lumber yard at Bales Lumber & Supply on East Quincy. Marcel Levesque from the Bank of Westmont came by afterward and told the family he would get them what they needed to reopen. Nine months later they reopened as a True Value, with Mayor Andy Pasquinelli cutting the ribbon.
That building is still standing at 20 E. Quincy. Its run as a hardware store is ending.
Bales Ace Hardware will close when its owners retire, and the Village of Westmont is buying the property. Next door at 26 E. Quincy, TLD Design Center & Gallery has to be out by the end of November. Nobody has announced what comes next.
So for anyone who buys furnace filters at Bales or takes a Saturday crochet class at TLD, October and November are the last stretch of business as usual.
A Store Older Than Most of Downtown
Bales Lumber & Supply, Inc. was incorporated on April Fools' Day, 1960. Four brothers started it. Leonard and Willard were in construction, and they convinced Stan and Jack to invest with them in the Ogden Avenue Lumber property on East Quincy. About five years in, the two construction brothers left and Stan and Jack carried it on.
The store that rose after the fire was never just a lumber yard. It carried supplies, home goods, toys, and pet supplies. As the Village's own account puts it, they had everything.
In 1983, Bales left True Value for Ace, because several True Value stores had opened nearby.
At its March 19 meeting, the Village Board presented Stan Bales Jr. and Stan Bales Sr. with a proclamation and a Key to the Village for more than 65 years in business. The room gave them a standing ovation. The family decided on its own to retire and sell.
What the Village Is Building Toward
This is not just a business closing. It is land assembly.
The Village Board voted March 19 to buy 20 E. Quincy for $3 million, a price staff said matched the appraisal. The sale closes January 29 or on an earlier date both sides agree to.
Assistant Manager Parker laid out the reasoning that night. "The plan is to connect that Bales property with the Westmont Center," Parker said, describing the purchase as a step toward bringing additional tax revenue into the village and supporting downtown density and foot traffic.
Staff estimated the potential net new annual property taxes from redeveloping these parcels could run into the hundreds of thousands, after a development and TIF implementation period.
In May the Village asked developers for statements of interest in a roughly 2-acre site covering 1 S. Cass, 20 E. Quincy, and 26 E. Quincy. Responses were due July 1. As of this week, no developer, design, or construction date has been made public.
The Shop That Changed Village Policy
TLD Design Center & Gallery opened at 26 E. Quincy in September 1993, launched by a mother and daughter. It runs a gallery, an art supply and yarn shop, and classes in weaving, knitting, crochet, and jewelry making.
Owner Tammy Deck spoke at the March meeting, asking the Village and the chamber to help find space for arts businesses that might be displaced.
The Village responded with a program. On August 6, the Board adopted a commercial TIF relocation grant to reimburse certain costs for businesses displaced by redevelopment inside village TIF districts. Recipients commit to staying in Westmont three years.
Deck urged its adoption during public comment, saying she had every intention of staying after 33 years in business and that the grant would help her manage relocation timelines and permitting.
On September 3, trustees voted unanimously to award TLD a grant not to exceed $12,500, making it the program's first recipient. Parker framed it as giving the business room to move, saying it would let them find and solidify a location knowing the assistance was there.
So Westmont now has a policy for helping displaced downtown businesses, and it exists because of this block.
The Dates That Matter
- Now through late November. TLD remains open at 26 E. Quincy, with walk-in hours Wednesday through Saturday.
- End of November 2026. TLD's move-out deadline.
- By the end of 2026. The Village's outside date for Bales to wind down, though Bales is expected to close sometime this fall.
- January 29, or earlier. The Bales sale closes.
TLD has been looking for a new Westmont space of roughly 1,400 square feet. Anyone who knows of one can reach the shop at 630-963-9573.
What This Means If You Live Near Downtown
A 2-acre assembled site a block from the Metra tracks is the kind of thing that reshapes a downtown, and Westmont has been explicit that the goal is density, foot traffic, and tax base.
What it actually becomes is still unknown. No developer has been selected publicly and no renderings exist. If you own nearby, the thing to watch is which proposal the Village picks, since that determines whether this is housing, retail, or a mix, and at what scale.
I am following this one and will share what the Village decides once it is public.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Bales Ace Hardware closing?
The exact date has not been announced. The Village said in March that Bales would operate as usual through the fall and then wind down by the end of 2026, and Patch reported in September that the store is expected to close this fall.
Why is the Village of Westmont buying the Bales property?
To assemble land for downtown redevelopment. The Village says the purchase is for coordinating future economic development, with the goal of connecting the Bales property to Westmont Center.
Is TLD Design Center leaving Westmont?
It has to leave 26 E. Quincy by the end of November, but the owner has said she intends to stay in Westmont. The Village awarded TLD a relocation grant of up to $12,500 to help.
Redevelopment at this scale changes what a downtown block is worth, and the effects usually show up before the shovels do. If you own near downtown Westmont and want to talk through what this could mean for your property, call or text Rob Brannigan at 847.609.0570 or visit robbrannigan.com.
Additional Resources
- Bales Ace Recognized with Proclamation & Key to the Village, Village of Westmont
- Longtime Westmont Store Closing, Owner Retiring, Patch
- The Zoning Line That's Worth More Than the Comps in Downtown Westmont
- A Local's Weekend Guide to Westmont
Written by Rob Brannigan (IL License #475.164040), RENE + SRS. Lifelong Downers Grove resident. Data-driven guidance for sellers and buyers in Downers Grove and surrounding communities.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
