Former Hilander on North Main in Rockford has new owners. Next use is ‘open to all possibilities’

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The former Hilander grocery store on North Main Street has new owners who are sprucing up the property in preparation for attracting new tenants.

The building at 3710 N. Main St. was painted, as were the light poles in the parking lot. New landscaping was done and other cosmetic improvements have also been made.

The buyers of the property are exploring multiple options for both the former grocery space and four additional smaller vacancies at the building.

“We are open right now to all possibilities,” buyer Fariborz Sayani said in a phone interview from his office in Los Angeles, California. “Our listing agents are pursuing all avenues to figure out what suits best for that location.”

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Sayani is the listed agent and CEO for Los Angeles-based Woodforest Investment Group, which purchased the property for $3.2 million in late May from North Main Rockford, according to records from the Winnebago County Clerk and Recorder’s Office.

“It’s a bit of a challenge because it’s a large space to fill, and the city’s expectations are they want, mostly, a grocery shop,” Sayani told the Rock River Current.

The space hasn’t served as a grocery store since the former Hilander was shuttered in 2012. Schnucks had purchased the seven-store chain of Hilanders in the Rockford area in September 2011 and then opted to close the North Main location about eight months later.

“It’s still a huge priority for our city to address the food desert issue, and I would love to see that development address that issue,” said Alderman Bill Rose, a Democrat who represents the city’s 9th Ward. “That would be a key win for west Rockford and northwest Rockford to have a major food operation out of that building.”

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The property last had promise to serve as a grocery store from Jet Foods, which hung a “coming soon” sign on the building in May 2020. However, that plan fell through when concerns were raised over a potential $1 million loan to Jet Foods to help bring the grocery store to the space. City Council members had raised issue over the company CEO’s past, which included a felony conviction in 2015 for embezzling $370,000 in tax-increment finance funds from the village of Riverdale.

Rose, whose ward is adjacent to the 12th Ward where the store is located, said residents in west and northwest Rockford have hoped to see a grocery store return to the area. He’s happy to see an owner come in and quickly improve the property to try to attract new business.

“I’m excited because having an owner that comes in and immediately makes improvements to a building like that shows us that they’re going to be aggressive in marketing the building and finding the correct business in there,” he said. “It’s just a sign of relief knowing that we have a responsible landowner there that is going to make some things happen.”

Rose said the “doors are wide open” for the city to work with the developer to help make the grocery store a possibility.

“It would just need to be something that is appropriate for the residents and also appropriate for taxpayers,” Rose said.

Real estate agent Tracy Eastman of Dickerson & Nieman said the vacant spaces will be available to show starting Thursday.

Sayani said he hopes to have the property bustling with business again.

“We’re hoping to have all the spaces filled and get that thriving operation back to what it used to be,” he said.

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For interested businesses

Tracy Eastman of Dickerson & Nieman is the real estate agent working with the owners on filling the vacant spaces. Interested people or businesses can reach her at 815-381-1120.

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas