Huntley to begin construction of business incubator shops at Hackett House
Construction on the incubator shops in downtown Huntley is about to begin.
The village board recently approved two construction contracts, one for outside work and one for interior renovations of Hackett House. Officials expect construction will be complete by Oct. 1, according to village documents.
Huntley’s longtime goal has been to have the shops open in time for the holiday season. Plans for Shops on Main include a winter market from Nov. 1 to Dec. 21 before going on break from just before Christmas to the end of April. The main season will run from May 1 to Dec. 20, 2026.
The inside of the Hackett House near the intersection of Route 47 and Main Street will be renovated to make way for three shops. Huntley received a $975,000 Small Business Administration grant for the project that must be spent by the end of the year, but Huntley Village Manager Dave Johnson said those dollars would not be used for the Hackett House improvements to keep future options flexible and avoid potential federal oversight.
“By keeping Hackett renovations separate from the (Small Business Administration) funds, the village retains full control over future improvements, municipal use options or commercial leasing potential,” Johnson said.
Huntley expects the Hackett House renovations to cost $150,000, and the village board also gave a thumbs-up to a budget amendment for that.
A kitchen on the first floor will be converted to a restroom, according to plans provided to the village board. A second bathroom in the building is necessary to comply with code requirements, Johnson said.
Originally, Huntley’s plans called for four shops inside Hackett House and five outside. Now, three shops will be inside while six will be outside, according to village documents.
Once the shops open, Huntley will be the third McHenry County-area municipality to have the concept. Woodstock had incubator space in the Old Courthouse, and the first class of businesses graduated and moved out.
However, the Woodstock program’s future is uncertain as city officials have said they will not use the Old Courthouse again.
Naturally McHenry County, which was located in Hackett House before the incubators were proposed, has moved into the Old Courthouse in Woodstock.
In McHenry, the next season for the Riverwalk Shoppes launches in May and will feature four returning enterprises and six new ones, including a romance bookstore from Star 105.5-FM’s Tina Bree.
Huntley’s approach is a combination of McHenry’s and Woodstock’s with inside and outside shops.