At Huntley Outlet Center, it's about time for the last one out to turn off the lights.

Only seven stores at the 279,000-square-foot outlet mall in Huntley, about 50 miles northwest of Chicago, remain open. A Banana Republic Factory Store and Darna Furniture have not announced closing dates but five others are promoting steep discounts and preparing to shut for good by early March.

"It's closing when the last store closes," said Michael Reschke, founder of The Prime Group. Chicago-based Prime Group, Elgin's Capital Cos. and California-based Craig Realty Group bought partnered to buy the property from mall operator Simon Property Group in April 2016.

Dolores Matousek, owner of Huntley Antique & Jewelry Mall, said the mall still draws shoppers, especially on weekends. She's closing her store by mid-February and moving to Spring Hill Mall in West Dundee this spring.

ct-huntley-outlet-center-closing-0203-biz James C. Svehla / Chicago Tribune

Huntley Antique & Jewelry Mall in Huntley Outlet Center in Huntley, Ill. Thursday, February 2, 2017.

Huntley Antique & Jewelry Mall in Huntley Outlet Center in Huntley, Ill. Thursday, February 2, 2017.

(James C. Svehla / Chicago Tribune)

Many of those shoppers are there for the closing sales, like Kathryn Deithloff, 34, of Marengo, who hoped to score discounted jeans at Guess on a recent day but arrived too late. The door was locked and windows were covered in paper, except where an employee had peeled it back to begin scraping Guess' logo off the glass.

Huntley Village Manager David Johnson remembers seeing buses in the mall's parking lot after it opened in 1994, bringing in shoppers from around the Chicago area. It saw double-digit sales growth in 1996 and 1997, and occupancy hit about 92 percent in 1999.

But by 2011, only about 76 percent of the outlet center's space was occupied, according to regulatory filings by Simon Property Group, which bought the mall in 2010. Huntley pushed to complete a new tollway interchange at Interstate 90 and Route 47 to make it easier to access the mall. The $59 million project, which cost Huntley $6 million, was completed in 2013.

It didn't work. By the end of 2015, about half the center was empty.

"The other outlet centers that have been successful in Chicago, Rosemont and Aurora took all the wind out of its sails," Reschke said.

The recently expanded Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora and Fashion Outlets of Chicago in Rosemont are both among the 30 largest U.S. outlet malls, according to Value Retail News. Even Fashion Outlets, the smaller of the two, is nearly twice Huntley's size, with higher-end shops.

ct-huntley-outlet-center-closing-0203-biz James C. Svehla / Chicago Tribune

Huntley Antique & Jewelry Mall in Huntley Outlet Center in Huntley, Ill. Thursday, February 2, 2017. The outlet mall will close for good in March.

Huntley Antique & Jewelry Mall in Huntley Outlet Center in Huntley, Ill. Thursday, February 2, 2017. The outlet mall will close for good in March.

(James C. Svehla / Chicago Tribune)

Shoppers are still willing to drive an hour or more to visit a destination mall, said Gabriella Santaniello, president and founder of retail research firm A-Line Partners. But many would rather travel farther for one with more interesting shops and better entertainment and dining options, she said.

What's next for the property hasn't been decided, but its days as a shopping center are likely done. The new owners looked for a large retailer that would be enough of a destination to draw customers but there weren't any takers, Reschke said.

Instead, Reschke said, they'd like to change the property's zoning to allow office, research and industrial uses.

Huntley is hoping the property will combine a mix of businesses to make it less vulnerable to the industry changes that took a toll on the outlet mall, Johnson said.

"The last thing we want is another situation ...where in 20 years we're talking about having to raze it and start over," Johnson said.

lzumbach@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @laurenzumbach

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