Popular Chicagoland comedy club looks to mall for growth

Comedy Shrine, a fixture for 14 years in Aurora, Ill. (the home of “Wayne’s World”), is leaving its longtime freestanding location and moving into  the local Fox Valley Mall.

“Comedy Shrine has outgrown our current location. When we began looking for a new venue, the changes taking place at Fox Valley Mall really caught our eye,” said David Sinker, a veteran of the famed Second City comedy club who opened Comedy Shrine in 2005. 

“There are big things happening at Fox Valley Mall, from thought-provoking original works of art to a completely re-imagined park-like Center Court,” said Sinker.

Sinker said the new location will allow him to attract more nationally known acts and do daytime programming like comedy classes.

Key tenants at the 1.5 million-sq.-ft. mall include Macy’s, H&M, Victoria’s Secret, and Disney Store. It also houses a 50,000-sq.-ft. Round 1 entertainment center.

Scott Samson, senior general manager of Fox Valley, said that the mall is on the ground floor of a significant transformation as a focal point for entertainment and community activities.

“We’re drastically altering the way people interact with their neighborhood shopping center. We’re creating something so much more meaningful. Adding an iconic entertainment venue like Comedy Shrine to the mall’s tenant mix is indicative of the kind of changes we have in store for Fox Valley 2.0,” Samson said.