La Salle, Bureau counties retail update: New Speedway in Oglesby giving sales revenue a boost

Every city in Starved Rock Country posted low year-over-year sales when the pandemic struck, and most needed months to dig out of the hole. Oglesby trailed in sales – until now.

The retail figures from September have arrived and Oglesby, which lagged behind neighboring communities hurt by COVID-19, finally is in the black. Thanks to the new Speedway operating near Interstate 39, Oglesby enjoyed September sales that were 4% better than in 2019.

“Hopefully, we are turning the corner and moving in the right direction,” said Mayor Dom Rivara, who correctly predicted that the new travel plaza would give the city a retail boost. “Once we get the pandemic behind us, I do believe that we will see positive results across the board.”

Rivara isn’t the only one celebrating. With Oglesby now in the black, every community tracked by Shaw Media has posted at least one month with improved year-over-year retail sales, meaning businesses generally are adapting to, if not flourishing under, COVID-19 restrictions.

September sales were especially robust for Mendota, which posted 23% improvement over last September’s totals, followed by Utica (19% improvement), Streator and Princeton (16% each).

Mendota City Clerk Emily McConville said the city’s third-quarter sales were decidedly stronger than earlier in the pandemic. She said sales of food, liquor and especially household furnishings appear to be the driving force behind the improving numbers.

“That makes me think people are working on their homes and buying stuff for their houses,” McConville said.

Utica officials cautioned the village figures were inflated somewhat by a tax rate increase that took effect Jan. 1. Village Treasurer Jamie Turczyn said she analyzed what the village would have brought in this year were it not for the rate hike, and she projected a $20,000 loss had the rate hike not offset the village’s pandemic-related losses.

Utica did adopt the rate hike, however, and the village is poised to bring in a record amount in sales. Utica has collected, year-to-date, more than $262,000 – only $10,000 short of its yearly record – with the fourth quarter still trickling in.

Peru, for one, is expecting a big Christmas. Though the city showed a modest 3% increase in September sales, it bodes well for a strong holiday shopping season.

“I think it shows the confidence shoppers have in Peru,” Bob Vickrey, director of economic development, said of the September uptick.