Village Green to close North Main Street branch in Rockford after 57 years

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
Get our mobile app

ROCKFORD — Village Green Home & Garden plans to close its North Main Street branch next month after 57 years in operation.

The company plans to consolidate its nursery, greenhouse, home furnishings, gift and garden center business at its flagship store at 6101 E. Riverside Blvd., which opened in 1980. The branch at 2640 N. Main St. will close on Sept. 29.

More business: Rockford manufacturer RJ Link International Inc. goes live with 600-panel solar farm

The owners said the North Main location was no longer financially viable and consolidation will allow the company to focus on the Riverside location, which has become one of the largest retailers for casual furniture in the country.

“Closing this location will allow us to focus on the Riverside store, especially with the upcoming holiday season and spring of 2025,” said Cynthia E. Smith, co-owner of Village Green with her sister, Dr. Carolyn S. Smith.

The owners have not decided on the future of the North Main property, and they said discussions are ongoing about various possibilities.

“As a west-sider, we would certainly like to see that return to a productive use,” Cynthia Smith said.

The North Main location opened in 1967 as one of the earliest branches of Village Green.

“My sister and I grew up in the North End and closing this location is a difficult decision,” Cynthia Smith said. “Unfortunately there is no longer a large enough customer base to keep the location viable. We want to emphasize that the Riverside Store is NOT closing.”

Smith said that the closure times with the end of the season, when seasonal workers employment would end. She said the North Main branch has three full-time employees, two of whom have decided to move over to the Riverside location. An additional hourly employee decided not to move to Riverside, she said.

“We found spaces for those who wanted to continue at Village Green at Riverside,” she said.

Village Green was founded by former college roommates Laurence P. Smith and Bill Swadley in 1965. Its first location was at 4403 Center Terrace, which ran for about 30 years before closing in the mid-1990s.

When the company expanded to North Main, it added a now closed furniture outlet called Traditions.

Swadley died in January 2009 at age 69.

Smith, who received the International Casual Furnishing Association lifetime achievement award in 2018, died in April 2020.

Village Green was named one of 10 retailers nationwide to receive the 2023 Lawn and Garden Retailer Innovator Award for “excelling in customer education, social media innovation, providing a memorable customer experience, commitment to their local community and offering new and exciting plant offerings.”

The company was also twice recognized with the Apollo Award from the ICFA, in 2016 and 2023.

“We look forward to providing our customers with excellent service at the Riverside location where we are currently undergoing changes to make room for an expanded inventory of holiday gifts and décor,” Smith said. “We are thankful for the support of our loyal customers for the past 60 years and look forward to their continued support of this local, family-owned business.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated from its initial version to correction information about the founders. 

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas