Cue the Queen music.

Am I the only one who this is going to be a HUGE issue for when elections roll around? I understand the problem will not be solved by then, but it surely better begin to be addressed. That silly mall has been a trainwreck for too long, and now it's much worse than last year.

As an aside, are we really going to call Wonder! a "major store?"

BTW, one more suggestion (yes, this is my thing.)

Can somebody suggest the developer donate - yes, I said "donate" - space to a well-established, non-profit theater company? This may be a pipe dream on my part, but I think if you can get any type of theater (or maybe a restaurant/jazz club) in there, you'd also have some reasonable nighttime traffic that comes with it.

And why would the developer want to donate? Weeeeeeeeell, would you like to start developing traffic for the other 90% of your business? Or would you rather continue to have several empty storefronts for years (dare I say decades) at a time?

Can we start getting creative about this?

Sorry, two more questions ...

1) Is the Chamber of Commerce meeting open to the public?

2) Will the mayor, the village manager and a couple trustees attending this meeting?

There are a couple of things that I think of right away. What's the length of the remaining lease term? Let's say it's 3 years. The Village should figure out a way to require leasing the space in a timely manner. Best Buy is solvent at this point and will continue to pay the lease (as Sears probably did for the not so Great Indoors). Not sure how this can be accomplished but lets not allow another place to sit vacant. Secondly, I don't recall anything regarding a notification to the State about a mass layoff by Best Buy. They are obligated to give something in the range of 60 days notice that they plan this layoff. The Village, County, State and fired employees have a right to this notice and it should be enforced.

Also, sorry...but I have to mention that the Village needs to be more on top of these things. Nice planters and sign ordinances, but decreasing sales tax revenue equals increased property taxes....again.

The truth of the matter is that the retail situation has been OVERBUILT for years. Online purchasing is up by huge percentages, and will continue to increase. Mobile phone purchasing is going through the roof. It should be not at all surprising that retailers are forced to close physical properties. Overhead too high. I love Bringin' Down Briarwood's suggestion. Clearly, time to think outside the "box," - pun definitely intended.

Way to go Harriet! Those long range plans for the village that you and Bernie always envisioned are all coming together now! Bike paths that run into stone walls, sidewalks where 2 pedestrians can't pass without one stepping into the street, renovated downtown in the wrong location complete with dangerous parking lots, and big box vacancies in outdated centers that should have been torn down, and in this economy finally will be.

One would think the Village would immediately contact the company to discuss a location for a possible downsize version. There seems no sense of urgency on on the Village Board's part.

I've shopped there, no wonder...terrible service...

Deerbrook Mall has been dying for years. Have you walked the interior. Spooky and creepy. Best Buy leaving is the nail in the coffin. Very sad.

The whole mall, including the Mall behind it, needs to be torn down and the entire area needs to be redeveloped......Deerfield has way to high of a median income and population density to not attract first rate stores. The problem is the leadership of Deerfield. They don't get it and never will. 16M Library but zero involvement in Commercial real estate development that actually generates revenue. Too much of the tax and spend mentally and not enough community development experience.

I'm trying not to do my happy dance, but honestly, WorstBuy closing a store, and hopefully beginning the death spiral toward going entirely out of business? It couldn't have happened to a more deserving company and no, I'm not going to mourn their passing one bit. Let's review: False advertising, Bait and Switch, Extended Warranties that aren't honored, and my favorite - selling a broken computer as new, complete with "restore disc" written on in it WorstBuy Blue magic marker "THIS IS DEAD - DOESN'T WORK. Return To Vendor." - and they had the audacity to accuse my customer of scamming them. Visit www.consumerist.com and search for "Best Buy" - you'll find a plethora of reports on their antics. And I won't even go into the fact that their CEO just resigned for something unmentionable with a staffer. Good riddance.

The only mall that I've noticed seems to be doing well lately is Old Orchard in Skokie. They made it truly interesting with several specialty shops and outlets for mail order stores. Lots of restaurants too. The parking lot is full every time I go there. I grew up in Skokie and the place was about average in the 1960s and most of the 1970s, and a ghost town in the late 1970s and 1980s.

There are fantastic comments here regarding this tid bit of news. Let me just remind some and enlighten others ....THERE ACTUALLY IS THEATRE SPACE LAYING DORMANT WITHIN THE INTERIOR OF THE MALL!

yes....what a great space to bring a theatre company! But the right one, please!

Also, like the comment bike paths to nowhere....so true!

Don't forget Caldwell Corners....Realy! What the heck is going on? Most of us don't need a crystal ball to have anticipated everything on the subject that has happened concerning retail here. But if someone has an extra crystal ball laying around please send it over to the village board.

With that huge underground parking space, they should turn Wonder! into a homeless shelter or a dog park.

Deerbrook mall needs to be revamped. The last time I was there I went into TJMAX
and stil cannot believe how that mall can survive being empty inside. Its finall time to figure out an ecomonical way to revamp that mall.