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JOLIET – The closing of several Grant's Appliances stores in October was a mystery for customers.
It was also infuriating. After making purchases on appliances — with some customers spending upward of $20,000 — and receiving nothing in return, the inexplicable closing of the stores left customers confused and angry on how they would get either their money back or appliances they paid for.
While company owners remained silent, the Illinois Attorney General's Office said in November Grant's Appliances was undergoing a process similar to bankruptcy. The company was in massive debt to landlords and had poor sales since the Great Recession.
However, there was no guarantee customers would ever see their money again or get their purchases.
Inventory from Grant's is being sold off as the company is liquidated. But for some customers, the reputation of the more than 90-year-old appliance retailer and its owners are ruined.
Other top stories of the year are:
1. Collision on I-55 leaves six dead
3. Hickory Street murder trials
4. Two local men killed while serving in military
5. Plainfield Park District drama
6. Evergreen Terrace ruling comes after years in court
7. Grant's Appliances closes, leaves customers without purchases
8. Controversy over new Rialto Square Theatre marquee