2023’s Top 10 Retail Center Experiences: No. 4 Naperville Crossings

“Activations” is one of the key items on the to-do lists of today’s growing number of mixed-use centers. A steady calendar of events churns traffic on a weekly basis, not just during the back-to-school and holiday seasons. It’s not, however, a standard operating procedure at more utilitarian grocery-anchored centers that focus on providing everyday needs and services.

Then there’s Naperville Crossings.

This Phillips Edison & Company center in the comfortable western suburb of Naperville has…

An annual Halloween Trick-or-Treat event that draws 500 kids from the neighborhood and beyond. All tenants hand out treats.

A Hug Your Heroes event starring local police officers and firefighters with their trucks--along with the PAW Patrol--draws more than 500 people.

A chess tournament run by the local high school chess club that drew 85 competitors last year and was supported by tenants and Naperville Crossings vendors offering such goodies as free hot chocolate and $100 gift cards.

“Our big events draw people from way beyond the local neighborhood,” said Kathy Jemilo, the  senior regional property manager in charge of Naperville Crossings. “We pull people from Bolingbrook, Oswego—many of the towns along Route 59, where we’re located.”

The chess tournament blossomed when Phillips Edison placed a large board with tall chess pieces on a patio at the property.

“People come to the spot and just sit there and relax. It seems there’s never a time I go there when somebody’s not playing chess,” Jemilo said.

But the best experiences at the Aldi-anchored center, it seems, are enjoyed by its tenants—whom Phillips Edison managers refer to as their “Neighbors.”

“There’s always something going on here for people to enjoy the neighborhood and that leads to having a lot more awareness and walk-in customers,” said Alexis Landrieu of the A La Folie confectionery shop.

Devon Whittaker from the KidStrong activity center remarked that Naperville Crossings is a neighborhood center unlike most others.

“Employees come out before their shifts, mixing and matching,” he said. “We’re creating business opportunities together. It’s great to have a community of businesses working together, not just competing.”