Area Development
Art Van Furniture, the Midwest’s largest furniture retailer, will invest approximately $40 million to expand into the Chicago, Illinois area with new retail and distribution locations, bringing approximately 600 new jobs to the region.

The six new Art Van Furniture stores will be located in the Ford City and Logan Square neighborhoods of Chicago as well as Batavia, Bolingbrook, Orland Park, and Merrillville-Hobart, Indiana. A regional 183,000 square foot distribution center will also be based in Bolingbrook, Ill. Art Van Furniture plans to open more than a dozen retail locations and an equal number of its Art Van PureSleep bedding stores over the next three years. In Michigan, Art Van Furniture operates 36 stores and employs more than 2,700 associates.

“Art Van Furniture joins the growing number of companies that are choosing Illinois to invest and grow their business,” Gov. Pat Quinn said. “With our diverse economy and our pool of highly-skilled workers, Illinois is a great place to do business. We are committed to working with companies like Art Van Furniture to create jobs and drive our economy forward.”

“Chicago is definitely our kind of town,” Art Van Elslander, founder and chairman of Art Van Furniture said. “This is a world-class city in a world-class state whose residents possess a great zest for life, passion for work, play and leisure, and pride in community. We look forward to introducing families to Art Van Furniture’s one-of-a-kind lifestyle shopping experience and helping them to make their homes more stylish and comfortable without breaking the bank.”

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity provided a targeted investment package that includes the Economic Development for a Growing Economy tax credits. Art Van Furniture is eligible for the credit worth $404,000 over ten years, and will invest nearly $5 million to open a regional warehouse in Bolingbrook that creates dozens of jobs. The EDGE tax credits are performance-based, meaning a company is not eligible for tax credits unless it meets its commitment to create jobs and make the agreed upon private investment.