Sugar Grove Verizon Wireless celebrates opening with official ribbon cutting

SUGAR GROVE – The Sugar Grove Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting Aug. 10 for the new Verizon Wireless store in Sugar Grove

Located off Route 47, next to Jimmy John's, the store is owned by Batavia residents, Dan and Eva Greenslade. They own a total of six Verizon Wireless stores in Kane and DuPage counties, and have been in the cellphone industry for 15 years.

The Greenslades said they have received a warm welcome from the Sugar Grove community since opening their store April 15.

“We are really looking forward to building relationships in Sugar Grove,” Eva Greenslade said. “We’ve had people stop in to say 'hi' and tell us, ‘We’re glad you’re here.’ We are just as excited as everyone else.”

Dan Greenslade added that, as owners, they both enjoy the new atmosphere and community they are experiencing in Sugar Grove. The Greenslades said they decided to open this new location after noticing a need.

"One of the biggest differences between this location and our other locations is the population," Greenslade said. "We are really enjoying the small town and how nice everyone is here... We've had customers for a long time, and we've been able to watch customers' kids grow up. People would drive a long distance just to go to our locations. We hope to build a lot of relationships here."

Bill Whitmer, village economic development coordinator, noted several advantages to opening a store in a smaller community, such as knowing exactly what the community is thinking.

“In a small town, you know what the residents are thinking,” Whitmer said. “I think residents will enjoy being able to drive around the corner to get to Verizon. I don’t like going online for everything so I think it is [that] nice residents have the opportunity to quickly visit the store and become familiar with new opportunities."

The new Sugar Grove Verizon Wireless store had a booth at the Sugar Grove Corn Boil this year, according to sales associate Sam Hufnagle.

“I used to work at Best Buy, and I was their Verizon Wireless specialist,” Hufnagle said. “I wanted to see the Verizon side of things. Dan and Eva are really flexible. They make things [work] for their customers. If a customer wants a phone we don’t have, I can call them, and I can usually get the phone the next day.”

Sugar Grove Village President Sean Michels said Verizon Wireless adds to Sugar Grove's growing business community.

“This will be great for the community to have,” Michels said. “It’s a great location with Dunkin' Donuts coming at the end of the year, and Jimmy John’s next to it.”