Park and Shop

Park & Shop (sometimes called Park n’ Shop) was one of the first major shopping centers built in Elk Grove Village, opening in 1958–1959 at the prominent intersection of Arlington Heights Road and Higgins Road (IL-72). It served as the village’s original downtown retail destination during the early years of residential growth.

Origins & Design

Built in the late 1950s as Elk Grove Village was transitioning from farmland into a planned suburban community, Park & Shop was designed in the classic mid-century outdoor shopping strip format — a line of storefronts with ample parking in front where cars could park and shop easily. Elk Grove Parks

This Park & Shop model reflected the retail trends of the era, emphasizing automobile convenience over enclosed malls, which were still in their infancy. Elk Grove Parks

Role in Community

For much of the late 1950s through the 1960s and beyond, Park & Shop was considered Elk Grove’s downtown commercial core — a place where residents met daily needs, socialized, and supported local businesses.

It anchored the community’s early development and helped give the village a village-center feel before larger shopping centers and regional malls elsewhere drew retail traffic.

Tenants & Nearby Businesses

Early businesses around the Park & Shop area included local staples such as Jarosch Bakery (built in 1968 and still operating nearby today), the Elk Grove Bowl, and local service shops. Some of these outlasted the original center and became enduring fixtures of the village.

Banking and community services also clustered nearby, reinforcing this intersection’s identity as the village’s social and commercial crossroads in its formative decades.

Evolution Over Time

As Elk Grove Village grew throughout the 1960s and 1970s, newer and larger shopping centers were built elsewhere, and retail activity gradually spread. Park & Shop’s role as the central retail hub diminished, but the area remained active thanks to local anchors and convenient access. Elk Grove Parks