Big changes are coming!

This is the start of a long story! After 4 years of hearing about Rakow Road being widened along side of our offices and garden center we received our official letter from McHenry County. Since our offices are only 2' 3" from the present right of way and the county is taking 20 more feet it looks like they will take our building, our silo (booo! This is the only remaining structure from the original barn and namesake.) and all of our greenhouses along the north side. Never a dull moment at the Barn!
So, the process of condemnation has just begun. This is our 3rd condemnation in about 20 years. Many of you have watched these changes over the years. When Rakow Road was built, we lost 100 ft, leaving the road mere inches from our windows. (Give a wave while waiting for the light!) A few years later, the state widened Rt 31 and took another 10-20 ft of the front of our property. We do hear the occasional rumors that "The Barn is closing." We want to reassure our customers that despite what you hear, "The Barn is NOT closing" despite this major inconvenience and the huge costs involved with re-building and moving our garden center. It will cost us 1000's of hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars, but we are committed to coming out of this better than ever. So, you will be seeing some major changes over the next couple of years. Please wish us luck and I will keep you posted.

TKSR