Naperville’s Mall of India is scheduled to open at the end of the month. It will be the first indoor mall in the city and the grand opening will feature its grocery story, Indiaco.
Indiaco Grocery Store
The 25,000 sq. foot store is stocked with food, cooking materials, and other goods imported from India.
“So [Indiaco] carries a multiple array of products compared to other competitors,” said Vinoz Chanamolu co-owner of the Mall of India. “[Competitors] carry one or two brands [of an item but], Indiaco carries multiple brands and they directly import from India. A lot of stuff, which is not available other South Indian stores they carry.”
The mall is located just off of Route 59 and replaces a Walmart. What the Mall of India offers community members is convenience. Just right next door to Indiaco will be several businesses, a food court, and a daycare.
“So [parents] can drop off their kids and they can move from one activity to another activity, which saves a lot of time for parents,” said Chanamolu. “It’s also a one-stop shop. While they can leave the kids they can do the shopping and they can pick up the food and other stuff.”
Construction Projects
All of those projects have different opening dates and construction will be done in phases.
The first phase will include opening seven of the eventual 26 stores in the mall. Those include a mattress store, a robotics center, and much more, which are scheduled to open in August.
After that construction crews will focus on the mall’s food court. The 30,000 sq. foot space will house a meat store, office spaces, eight food court options, a general seating area, and a bar.
“So you’ll order here and then you have a 20-seat [area],” said Chanamolu. “They can sit here or they can go and take [their drink] in the food court area, where they can order food and sit and drink.”
Those plans are contingent if the City of Naperville grants the Mall of India’s bar with a liquor license. Chanamolu and Sankura say they will make patrons wear wristbands and hire security, who will be B.A.S.S.E.T. trained, so there’s no underage drinking in the food court.
The last project will be the Mall of India’s daycare. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, delays have forced the mall to wait until next year to open the daycare. Once it opens it will feature classrooms, an outdoor playground, and a swimming pool.
“We thought it’s not viable [option] with the Covid-19 situation to open in the winter time so that’s why we pushed it to next year,” said Chanamolu. “In any case we need to build a swimming pool that take little time, so the tentative date will be June 2021.”
One Stop Shop
Whether it’s food, a place to hangout, or to drop off the kids, the Mall of India will offer Naperville residents a one stop shop for years to come.
Naperville News 17’s Christian Canizal reports.
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