Village Profile Home Page | About our Company | Sales Opportunities | Community eStore | vpmobile.us

Shopping in Buffalo Grove

When George Zimmermann opened his hardware store in Buffalo Grove some 30 years ago, he was a block away from a farm field. “This was a very rural town and cow pastures were a common sight,” reminisced Zimmermann from his business at 745 S. Buffalo Grove Road.

Today, the farm fields are gone and thousands of homes and new businesses instead surround Zimmermann’s True Value Hardware store. “We are now a full-blown Chicago suburb,” said Zimmermann.

The businessman, like many other Buffalo Grove’s longtime entrepreneurs, considers his move to Buffalo Grove a sound business choice. “We have done really well here,” said Zimmermann.

“I have been very happy with the way things have worked out here in Buffalo Grove.”

“We thought this would be the coming thing,” commented Ray Kautz of HOM by Ray & Son, a home interiors business just down the street from Zimmermann’s store at 796 S. Buffalo Grove Road. “And we were right.”

Kautz expanded his family business from Mount Prospect to Buffalo Grove three decades ago, about the same time as Zimmermann. “It was a good decision on our part as Buffalo Grove has been good to us,” he said.

“Things are quite dramatically different from when we first opened our doors 17 years ago,” said Jon Migdow, the owner of TDC Jewelry, located at 406 W. Half Day Road.

“I decided to do business in Buffalo Grove because I lived here at the time. I saw it as a good opportunity.”

All three businessmen said that the biggest benefit to operating in Buffalo Grove over the years has been the town’s phenomenal growth.

“Because of the growth in the residential market out here, our business has at least doubled,” said Kautz, who operates his business with his three sons. “When I first came here, Buffalo Grove Road was just a two-lane highway surrounded by farm land. Now we have the advantage of location, location, location.”

“The biggest benefit of Buffalo Grove for our business is that fact that it is a community that is young and middle class,” said Zimmermann, who operates his business with his son Kurt, daughter Cheryl and two grandchildren.

“So what you have is a lot of do-it-yourselfers. These are people who take pride in doing their own work and want to keep their houses up.”

“This has been an up and coming community,” said Migdow. “There are more upscale homes and more people with higher incomes. That has helped fuel our business.”

“We have seen a lot of change in Buffalo Grove in a positive way as far as opportunities to expand our development base,” said Tim Beechick, a partner with Hamilton Partners, which has operated a branch in Buffalo Grove since 1984. The company has three developments in the community: Buffalo Grove Business Park, Chevy Chase Business Park and Riverwalk.

“In fact, we wish there was more available land for developments in the community,” added Beechick. “What remains is infill development but we look forward to expand out our projects there.”

The Buffalo Grove businessmen have also adjusted their businesses to take advantage of that growing market.

For example, Zimmermann, whose business has gone from five to 30 employees, has expanded his store line-up to include merchandise such as grills, lawn mowers and tractors. “And we still offer great service,” he said. “Our employees greet people at the door and take them to whatever area they need help with.”

“Our business has added products that reflect the fact that people here can afford slightly better quality,” said Kautz, who has been in the carpet business since 1933.

Migdow, meanwhile, has also expanded his merchandise line as well as the services that his store offers. ”We are doing more specialty work, such as custom work and repairs,” he said.

Thanks to the success they have experienced, the Buffalo Grove businessmen said they plan to continue to expand their businesses.

“The community is changing, both demographically and ethnically, and we are hoping to continue to serve the community by expanding and growing off of our base,” said Migdow. “There are people we need to get into our store.”

“We will continue to do what we do best and that is to listen to our customers,” said Zimmermann.

“We will make sure we take care of them.”

“Buffalo Grove has been and will continue to be a great place to do business,” Kautz said.