Doing Business in St. John

Early Business in St. John: In the early settlement years, John Hack and his family continued to welcome other immigrants from their native Germany, and the formation of a tiny community began to take shape. These pioneers cleared and plowed the fields, farmed and began delivering their wheat to Chicago in ox-drawn wagons.

Prior to the arrival of the railroad, the community depended largely on its own resources. The area was mainly agricultural. The new railroad provided an outlet for milk and dairy products produced by the many dairy farmers in the area to be shipped to Chicago in the baggage cars of the trains.

The corner of Hack and Thielen Streets was the location of some of the town’s earliest business: The Stark Hotel and Saloon, the St. John Elevator and the Gerlach General Store. The General Store is now occupied by the Li’l Rascals Day Care Center. Behind the elevator was a slaughterhouse. Early business establishments were located near the railroad so that the grain, beef and milk brought in by the farmers could be shipped to Chicago for sale. While many of the early businesses have come and gone, some of the buildings remain and other businesses have taken their place. Two of the oldest businesses on record in St. John are Pierce Iron Works and Schilling. The Iron Works was located on a site which is now occupied by the Walgreens drug store. The manufacturing of ornamental iron railings began in 1946 by Willard Pierce, and when he opened an additional business in Florida, Jim Thiel and his wife Marion (Pierce) Thiel continued to operate the St. John business until 1997.

Twin brothers, Frank and Louis Schilling, were instrumental in the development of a post war subdivision craze. Prior to the war, they built a gas station which was located on Rt. 41, and thanks to the Chicago World’s Fair, the travel along this route was instrumental in keeping the business afloat. After World War II, they opened Schilling Brothers Lumber and Supply, still in operation today. They also built the St. John Mall on Rt. 41, that became the home of St. John’s largest grocery store and meat market at the time and the town’s first drugstore and restaurant. Soon to follow on the same property was a motel and trucking business, a bank (now occupied by Centier Bank), and a doctor’s office.

Present Day

Positive, rapid growth in the St. John area has contributed to a greater demand for consumer products and increased need for additional retail and service establishments.

The St. John Mall remains an integral part of this community and is home to an attractive mix of small businesses. While not representing the only areas of business growth in St. John, Rt. 41 is the prime location for vital business growth in the community, a growth that includes major retailers such as Target, Kmart, Walgreens, Blockbuster Video, and Strack and Van Til Supermarket, and nationally known companies such as Edward Jones. Newly developed light industrial parks can be seen in an area east of the Rt. 41 corridor, on Joliet Street and St. John Road.

The establishment of the St. John Chamber of Commerce in 1961 has been instrumental in presenting opportunities for businesses to network and provides a positive impact on the business community. The organization has grown to over 140 members and remains committed to the furtherance of economical development of St. John. As a unified embodiment of entrepreneurship, the Chamber continues to advance their commitment to private enterprise and foster good will among businesses, the community and local government. Representative of this, is their organization and participation in a Scholarship Program (awarded to a St. John resident high school student), annual golf outing, annual fundraising Corn Roast (in conjunction with the Tri-Town Rotary Club), Breakfast with the Easter Bunny, Breakfast with Santa, and the St. John Town Festival.

The excellent system of highways, railroads and airports combined with miles of waterfront installations at the Port of Indiana provide easy access to overseas markets and 24-hour shipping by rail or truck. Our proximity to vast steel operations, oil refineries and manufacturing plants on Lake Michigan shores, makes St. John an ideal location for additional services and related industries.