Glik’s in Highland will add a Men’s Shop in the adjoining store space (on left). The addition is slated to open in October.
Glik’s announced plans Thursday to expand its Highland store to include a Men’s Shop.
I was invited to attend an informal gathering to discuss plans for the expansion, which took place at the store at 2653 Northtown Way.
President/CEO Jeff Glik said the company had a similar opportunity to expand menswear in Rockford, Michigan. The Rockford store consisted of three store bays. They carved out the third bay to create an exclusive Men’s Shop, which has been successful.
Vice President Jim Glik said they were “bringing that success to Highland.”
The new Men’s Shop will allow for a better presentation for men’s merchandise, said Jim Glik.
“The Glik’s Men’s concept has evolved over the years and has had great success with its first store in Holland, Michigan,” Jeff Glik wrote in a May 25 email to the News-Democrat.
“Following that success we added this concept to Rockford, Michigan, and in late September we will add to Duluth, Minnesota. With all the excitement in Men’s we are going to bring it home to Highland, Illinois, in October 2022.”
The Men’s Shop will be in the adjoining unit at 2649 Northtown Way, where Randy’s House of Bar-B-Que was located.
The new space will provide about 2,400 square feet.
The work will be done by The Korte Company, which is based in Highland.
Part of the wall between the existing store and the new space will be opened up to join the two spaces together. The main entrance of the existing store will be used to access all departments.
The exterior door in the new space will not be used as the regular entrance for the Men’s Shop but will likely be used for special events there and may serve as an emergency exit.
A new exterior sign will be added to call out the Men’s Shop, said Jim Glik, who added that the addition would have a more masculine feel, “like a man cave.”
The renovation details and logistics are still works in progress, but the goal is to open the Men’s Shop in October, in time for the holiday shopping season.
The existing men’s and boy’s merchandise in the main store will be moved to the new addition with more available for shoppers in all departments.
Jim Glik straightened items in displays here and there as he talked about some of the brands they will continue to carry and at least one they plan to add.
Glik’s already carries merchandise from The North Face, Patagonia and Ariat, among others, but another well known brand may join the list come October.
“I think one of our other big offerings will be Carhartt,” said Jim Glik.
In addition to Jeff and Jim Glik, also present at Thursday’s gathering were Jim Glik’s son, Elliot Glik, who joined the company in January 2020; Jennie Green (no relation to this writer) from the Glik’s management team; Project Executive Jay Korte and the project’s architecture team from The Korte Company; and members of the Highland Chamber of Commerce.
Joseph Glik, great-grandfather to Jeff and Jim Glik, opened the first store in St. Louis in 1897. Today, there are nearly 70 stores in 11 states.
The company remains in the Glik family and now spans five generations with Elliot Glik and Jeff Glik’s son Jeremy Glik.
Glik’s is headquartered in Collinsville, where it relocated from Granite City in 2021.
Glik’s has been in Highland since 1976, according to a May 23 email from Glik’s Director of Marketing Kristi Ham to the News-Democrat.
The store is located at 2653 Northtown Way, Highland. Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.
For more information about Glik’s in Highland, call 618-654-9421, visit gliks.com or check them out on Facebook.
This story was originally published June 10, 2022 5:00 AM.
Jennifer Green has been with the Belleville News-Democrat since 2006. She covers restaurants and business openings/closings. Green is a 2001 graduate of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Please share tips and feedback at 618-239-2643 or [email protected].