SUGAR GROVE – The lot at the northeast corner of Route 47 and Galena Boulevard in Sugar Grove will become home to a Shell fuel station and Graham's Market Place Convenience Store & Car Wash in early fall.

The lot has been vacant since Citgo left this past January, making it available for Graham C-Stores of Gages Lake to purchase the property. Graham Oil was founded by Gene Graham, Sr. in Grayslake as a venture in the petroleum/gasoline market delivering fuel and oil to homes and local farms in 1938.

In 1954, Gene was joined by his sons and they acquired their first group of sites and became a distributor for Sinclair Oil. By the early 1990s, they explored into the convenience store business and became Graham C-Stores, a multi-branded, multi-state fuel station and convenience store operator with 30 locations in the greater Chicago area.

The closest Graham C-Stores fuel station and convenience store to the new Sugar Grove location is now in Yorkville.

"This is exciting for the city because it not only removes a vacant business, but it presents an opportunity to freshen up the appearance of one of the gateways to the community," said Walter J. Magdziarz, Sugar Grove community development director. "It provides added choice, option and convenience for residents and visitors, in addition to restoring tax revenue for the village."

Graham C-Stores plans to give the property a complete makeover both inside and out. The site will get new diesel and regular fuel pumps, paving, asphalt and lighting.

Thomas Williamson, supervisor for Graham C-Stores, said the "shell of the building will be the only thing staying."

"We'll be updating everything else from the inside-out to modernize the facility and beautify the corner, including new landscaping and signage," Williamson added.

The Graham Market Place Convenience Store will offer food and drinks to cover all meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner. A gourmet coffee bar with flavored coffees, multi-flavored cappuccinos and flavored creams will be available all day.

Other drinks including fountain soda, Icees, milkshakes, water, beer, juice and milk will be available. The Market Place will also have a roller grill, hot case and cold case to grab hot or cold breakfast, as well as lunch and dinner sandwiches.

Williamson said their hope is to have the Station and Market Place open 24-7, which will be useful because the grocery portion of the Market Place will have staples such as eggs, sour cream, orange juice, milk, butter, flour, ketchup, and mayonnaise.

The Market Place will also have the state lottery games, bags of ice and an ATM machine, he said.

The car wash on the site will be re-imaged, Williamson said.

"It was a newly installed car wash, so we aren't going to do much to it," he said. "Customers will punch in their code to enter the touch-less wash and cars will be blown dry at the end. We will be, however, installing commercial-grade vacuums that will be available to rent after a car wash – or anytime – if desired."

New tire air pumps will also be installed on site. These machine-operated air pumps will automatically pump air to the desired tire pressure number that the customer enters into the machine before pressing start. The machine will add or remove air to match the desired pressure amount, Williamson said.

Sugar Grove village president Sean Michels stated in a news release that he is excited to have Graham C-Stores as part of the community.

"The modernization and reopening of this location will benefit both our residents and visitors passing through Sugar Grove," Michels stated in the release. "Village officials have worked hard to get this station back up and running, and we couldn't be more pleased to have Graham C-Stores be the ones to do it."

Mark Graham, owner of Graham C-Stores stated in the release that his company is thrilled to be "given the opportunity to bring this [gas] station back to its former glory and turn it into the successful station it once was long ago.”

"We are excited to become a part of the Sugar Grove community, and look forward to serving the community and those passing through as they head out west," Graham stated in the release.

The extensive remodeling work is expected to start immediately and will take about three months to complete. The grand opening celebration is expected to be in October, according to the release.