The Mokena Village Board approved a performance-based financial incentive agreement with Midwest Furniture Liquidators, a business with a Mokena store for 10 years, that could award the business up to $150,000 in sales tax revenue over the next five years.
The deal promises the furniture store a share of the sales tax money beginning Jan. 1, 2027, as long as the business brings in more revenue, which means the store’s revenue exceeds its average revenue over the past five years.
Brent Cann, Mokena community development director, said the incentive supports a major reinvestment and expansion at the company’s store at 9100 W. 191st St.
Cann said the agreement is designed to encourage redevelopment along the 191st Street corridor, enhance the customer experience and strengthen the village’s sales tax base.
Amjad Hamdan, head of operations for Midwest Furniture Liquidators, said in November that his renovation plans will be a “little twist of a new image for the business.” Midwest Furniture Liquidators also has a Chicago area store in Schaumburg.
Hamdan said he plans to invest about $450,000 in improvements to modernize and expand its existing facility from its industrial-style building into a more retail-oriented customer-friendly showroom.
The showroom space will be expanded by about 20,000 square feet using adjacent space previously occupied by volleyball courts for Velocity All Sport, according to John Tomasoski, village administrator.
A few of the other planned upgrades include replacing loading dock doors with showroom windows, installing new canopies, lighting and wall signs, and completing landscaping and parking lot improvements, according to Cann.
A new entrance and pedestrian access from 191st Street will be added, aiming to further improve site accessibility and visibility, Cann said.
Hamdan said in November the company plans to increase the company’s marketing budget by 25% and spend more funds on costs like electrical work, lighting, flooring, new entrances and demolishing walls.
He said he expects these combined efforts to increase sales by at least 30% in the first year following the end of renovations.
If Hamdan does increase sales, he could be awarded funding under the incentive.
The village would then pay the store half of that extra revenue through money from the village’s portion of the sales tax.
The payments would continue until either the store has received $150,000, or five years have passed, whichever comes first, Cann said. He also said the Village Board may extend the incentive to 10 years or adjusting the incentive cap number.
Hamdan said the incentive allows him to begin renovations sooner. Normally, he said, he would have waited several years to save enough money to cover the full cost, but with the incentive in place, he feels confident moving forward now. He expects as his sales increase after the renovations, the village will reimburse him for part of those costs through the incentive program.
Hamdan also said the incentive helps the company during a particularly challenging time.
He said in November that the U.S. tariffs imposed under President Donald Trump’s administration in January and July increased costs for the products his company was buying from overseas. He said these increased costs pushed the company to buy more products from U.S. furniture sources in order to stay competitive in the market and still offer affordable prices. He said these changes have been hard, and the village’s support is helpful.
Hamden said the village has welcomed his business and that he is excited to expand operations in Mokena.
Cann said that the project aligns with broader economic development goals by reinvesting in an underutilized commercial site, enhancing the visual appeal of a major corridor and promoting sustained local revenue generation.
He said construction and site improvements are expected to move forward in phases as the showroom expansion and exterior upgrades are completed.
awright@chicagotribune.com