Wednesday marks the grand opening of Shake Shack in Naperville, the first new restaurant in the city’s long-awaited Block 59 entertainment complex.
And that’s not the only new business coming to Naperville this spring, with a Lego resale franchise and a salon suite slated to open in town over the next month.
Shake Shack
Calling all milkshake connoisseurs and burger buffs: Naperville officially welcomes Shake Shack to its stock of fast casual fare this week, according to a news release from the company.
The Naperville Shack — located at 404 S. Route 59 — opens its doors at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. To commemorate the launch, the restaurant’s first wave of guests will go home with custom Shake Shack tote bags.
The restaurant also will be donating $1 for every sandwich sold Wednesday to Naperville-based Loaves and Fishes.
Started in New York City more than 20 years ago, Shake Shack today has more than 580 locations, including 370 in the U.S. and another 210-plus internationally, according to the company’s website. The chain’s Naperville restaurant is its 13th location in Illinois.
Shake Shack is one of a host of new eateries set to fill out the burgeoning Block 59 entertainment and dining complex. Located at the northeast corner of Route 59 and Aurora Avenue, Block 59 is a 82,500-square-foot venture under development by New York-based Brixmor Property Group.
Apart from Shake Shack, Block 59 tenants are set to include Stan’s Donuts, The Cheesecake Factory, First Watch, Piccolo Buco, Yard House and Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, among others.
Bricks and Minifigs
A new store coming to Naperville next month will give community members ample opportunity to buy, sell and trade all things Legos.
A Bricks & Minifigs franchise is opening at 564 Route 59 on April 5, according to store owner and Naperville resident Lydia Petrovic.
Founded in 2010, Bricks & Minifigs is a Lego resale franchise. As of last year, there were more than 130 Bricks & Minifigs locations operating across the country and in Canada, according to the franchise’s website.
Petrovic said she was inspired to bring Bricks & Minifigs to Naperville in late 2023. She and her family had been traveling for the holidays in Charlottesville, Virginia, when they came upon a Bricks & Minifigs location.
“We just had an amazing experience,” said Petrovic, mother to three children. “My middle kid, he’s 6 years old and he’s really into Lego. So we just went there to look around.”
On their long drive back home, Petrovic found herself wondering if there was a Bricks & Minifigs in Naperville. When she found out there wasn’t, Petrovic took it upon herself to open a franchise of her own.
“We are beyond excited,” she said.
The first 100 customers to attend the Naperville franchise’s grand opening next month will receive a free customized “minifig torso,” Petrovic said. Minifig is short for minifigure. Parties and events booked during the store’s grand opening weekend will also receive $50 off standard booking rates.
IMAGE Studios
This month, a hair salon suite is set to open at Naperville’s Fox River Commons shopping center.
A franchise of IMAGE Studios will take over 10,645 square feet of space at the 241,000-square-foot center, according to a news release.
IMAGE Studios, which operates nearly 100 locations across 22 states, is a salon suite that allows hair stylists and other beauty-care professionals to operate independently-owned private salon studios under one roof, the release said.
The Fox River Commons franchise will contain 48 private salon studios, carving out space for hair stylists, estheticians, eyebrow artists, barbers, nail technicians, make-up specialists, massage therapists, Botox providers and teeth-whitening experts, among others.
With the addition of IMAGE Studios, Fox River Commons is now 77% leased.