Westridge Court Is Being Rebuilt Around a Store Nobody Has Named Yet

"The existing Going, Going, Gone! space will remain there. Then we're actually demolishing the Discovery space and the former Ulta space, and then we'll combine all of it into one large space."

That's Rich Dippolito, vice president of re/development at Brixmor Property Group, describing the stretch of Westridge Court along Aurora Avenue to NCTV17 in late September. Brixmor developed both Westridge Court and Block 59. So the closed storefronts, the address changes and the new construction fences along Route 59 this fall aren't separate events. They're one landlord rebuilding one block, in a set order. The familiar stores are moving out to the Route 59 frontage to clear room for one large anchor, and the food side of the project is on a construction-and-buildout schedule that likely runs well into 2027.

Where the familiar stores went

If your usual errand loop has felt off for the past few weeks, the table below is why. All three businesses moving out of the Aurora Avenue stretch are staying on Route 59.

The new addresses are close together. Ulta at 220 is right next door to Going, Going, Gone! at 204, so once the discount sporting goods store reopens on Oct. 14, the two will share a stop. Discovery is going farther up the corridor, next to two other value retailers.

Going, Going, Gone! is a special case. Its old storefront stays standing and becomes part of the new building, but the store itself is leaving. Brixmor plans to demolish about 28,000 square feet of existing retail and reinforce the wall the new building will share with the space next door. Dippolito told the Naperville City Council in June that the demolition and wall work would cost an estimated $1.85 million.

What the demolition is making room for

Brixmor hasn't named the tenant. Dippolito describes it as a "home goods furniture retailer" that will occupy a new 97,000-square-foot building. In June the City Council backed a tax incentive meant to bring that retailer to the shopping district.

The newest big store on the block shows how large that is. The L.L.Bean that opened on Sept. 25 fills a 16,000-square-foot space. The coming home goods store will be about six times that size, which would make it a true anchor tenant for the center. That's why Brixmor is willing to tear down 28,000 square feet of occupied storefronts, move three tenants and spend seven figures before the new building even starts going up.

The work will also add to the center's public art. Brixmor is looking at a third mural for one wall of the new building. The first two are already part of the walk through Block 59. One is on the east wall of the building with Cava, Crisp & Green and Velvet Taco, and the other is on the south side of Five Below.

The September report gives no opening timeline for the home goods store, so for now its name and opening date are both unknown.

L.L.Bean filled the block's longest vacancy

The same anchor strategy explains the store that just opened. L.L.Bean, at 336 S. Route 59, moved into the former Bed Bath & Beyond space between the Wayfair Outlet and Five Below. That storefront had been empty since 2023, when Bed Bath & Beyond declared bankruptcy. It opened on Friday, Sept. 25, according to NCTV17.

It's the company's fourth Illinois store, after South Barrington, Oak Brook and Skokie. For anyone in Naperville who wants to try on a pair of Bean Boots or pick up a Boat and Tote, there's now a store on Route 59.

With L.L.Bean open and the home goods store coming, Westridge Court is building toward two large destination stores, one for outdoor gear and one for home furnishings. Smaller shops will sit around them, and food and entertainment will be next door at Block 59.

Block 59's food schedule runs longer than it looks

The dining side is where the timing matters most if you're planning around it. Construction began the week of Sept. 28 on two new Block 59 buildings that together will hold five restaurants. Each building is about 11,000 square feet.

Only one tenant has been named. Nan Xiang Soup Dumplings opened its first restaurant in Flushing, New York, in 2006, and the company says it has been recognized by the Michelin Guide, among other honors. Its first Illinois location opened in Chicago on Aug. 29, so Naperville will be its second in the state. The menu runs from crab and pork soup dumplings and pan-fried buns to stir-fried rice cakes and noodles. Dippolito declined to name the other four restaurants.

Here's the schedule Brixmor has laid out:

1. Late September 2026: Construction begins on both buildings.
2. May: Construction on one building is set to wrap up.
3. June: Construction on the other building is set to wrap up.
4. Four to six months after that: Each restaurant completes its own interior buildout.

The report doesn't give a year for the May and June dates. Since construction began this fall, the natural reading is May and June 2027. If so, the first restaurants could open around September 2027 at the earliest, and the rest toward the end of 2027. Brixmor hasn't announced any opening dates, so this is an estimate based on its construction schedule, not a promise.

In the meantime, Block 59 already added one new stop this summer. Dumont Creamery & Cafe opened on Aug. 7 at 448 S. Route 59, Suite 104, its first store in Illinois. It serves ice cream in flavors from around the world, along with coffee, pastries and boba.

Farther along Route 59, smaller openings on a shorter timeline

While Brixmor's project works on a two-year calendar, several independent and franchise openings along the rest of the corridor were targeting this fall. All four below were announced with dates that have now passed or are close. None had a confirmed opening as of Oct. 3, so check before you go.

• Jamba + Auntie Anne's, 376 S. Route 59, Westridge Court. A combined smoothie and soft-pretzel shop announced for Sept. 17. Co-owner Karan Kumar told the Naperville Sun he paired the two brands so the shop would draw customers all year, including in winter, when a cold smoothie is a harder sell. As of early October, the two brands' location pages disagree. Auntie Anne's still says "Coming Soon," while Jamba's page offers online ordering.
• Shibam Coffee, 1120 S. Route 59. A 5,000-square-foot Yemeni coffee shop that was aiming for a mid- to late-September opening. Planned hours are 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily, which would make it one of the corridor's latest-night options. The menu includes Adeni chai, a Yemeni spiced milk tea, and the Shibam Royal, a mango smoothie made with evaporated milk. Co-owner Sohail Quddussi said the Shibam Coffee in Glendale Heights is what convinced him to open one in Naperville.
• Vasco's Peri Peri, 3124 S. Route 59. Indo-American and Portuguese food, with a stated goal of opening by the end of September. This will be its fourth location, after Schaumburg, Lombard and Arlington Heights. Manager Ketan Patel said the Lombard restaurant already sees plenty of customers from Naperville. The signature peri peri chicken is made with African bird's eye chili, and the menu also includes a tandoori chicken burger and chicken tikka on garlic naan.
• Tashkent Grill House, 1995 Springbrook Square Drive. Executive chef and owner Djasur Khusanov hopes to open in October, with no exact date announced. He plans to serve traditional Uzbek rice pilaf and khachapuri, a Georgian cheese bread. Khusanov has more than 20 years of restaurant experience, including time as a cook at Milliy Family Restaurant in Naperville. He said he decided to open his own place because he felt the city didn't have much Uzbek or Georgian food.

The two sets of openings move at very different speeds. Each of these four businesses is fitting out an existing space on its own schedule, so new places can appear along this stretch within weeks. At Westridge Court and Block 59, one developer is demolishing, rebuilding and leasing in phases, so the biggest changes there are planned more than a year out. The next date to watch is Oct. 14, when Going, Going, Gone! is scheduled to reopen next to Ulta. After that, it's whenever Brixmor names its 97,000-square-foot home goods tenant.

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