Will Peter Rubi Leave Plainfield As It Expands To Chicago?

PLAINFIELD, IL — A popular family-owned market in Plainfield is expanding with a bigger, second store in Chicago, raising questions if it will shutter its location in the village.

In a Facebook video Monday, John Graves, owner of Peter Rubi, informed the community that they are opening a new store in the Uptown area of Chicago, on the corner of Montrose Avenue and Lakeshore Drive.

Graves told Patch that they are hoping to open by April 1 and are moving into a building at 811 W. Montrose Ave. This storefront, in a prime location, has been vacant for two years after the Treasure Island grocery chain that was supposed to move in went out of business.

"We are very excited to be bringing Peter Rubi to the city," he said. "We know Chicago has been hit hard with the current pandemic, and we hope to be a ray of light for the community."

The lease for the space that Peter Rubi currently occupies at 15412 Route 59, will be up on March 31. Graves said they have the option of renewing it for two more years, but is not sure if the property owner(s) want that.

"Peter Rubi has not made that decision yet. But we did want to be open with our community about our current dilemma. We are faced with the possibility of closing our Plainfield store as we are needing a larger location to meet our customers' needs," Graves said. "Our customers are a top priority, and we are needing a larger location with better parking to suit their needs. We have curbside available and an online store to help with the influx of demand."

John and his wife Maria Graves began their journey in 2012 when they opened this store with a promise to deliver the freshest and most organic produce they could find. Over the years, their lives have been wrought with challenges, from John's cancer diagnosis to their house burning down, but they remained steadfast in their commitment to the community.

Last year brought on additional difficulties with the coronavirus pandemic and the couple once again stepped in to help out. After a power outage due to heavy storms last August, the store gave away free grocery boxes to residents. During Halloween, they brought joy to families by distributing free mini pumpkins.

Due to their invaluable role in the community, Plainfield residents are hoping that they continue to remain in the village.

"Please stay with us in the Plainfield area - your store is a godsend, wonderful people, wonderful products!" a customer wrote on Facebook.

The new store, according to John, will be 15,000 square feet, thereby providing them with the opportunity to bring in more vendors and having "three times the selling space." He said Maria hoped of having a beautiful building for the new store with a space designed for a grocery store and a developer that had funding.

"This was truly an opportunity presented to us by God," John said. "My wife and I absolutely love what we do, but we wanted to make sure a second location was in God's plan for us. God answered us, and we are truly happy."

Despite the excitement of having a bigger space, John said he prays "our landlord can work with us and our never-ending growth." He is asking Plainfield residents to inform him of opportunities within Plainfield, so they can also have a larger store in the village.

"We are currently in negotiations for a potential two-year lease. However, we are limited to space here and needing funding for a larger location. We love Plainfield, and we truly hope to stay," he said.

The business is also seeking opportunities to expand further and John said he wants to see a Peter Rubi in every state some day.

"We believe health should be accessible and affordable for every community. Our mission is not just about our business. We are a business for the people," he said. "We are currently seeking a real estate investment firm to fund future projects in this area. We are a small family company with limited finances. We want to grow Peter Rubi. We believe that we are the future of food for a healthy community."