Smothers Realty Make Move, Goes Green

It's been a busy day today for the folks at in La Grange as they packed up the office they've been in the last 10 years at 324 W. Burlington Ave. and moved five blocks down the street to their new location at 919 W. Hillgrove Ave.

Owner Joan Smothers said she was not stressed about the move when we spoke recently.

"We're super organized, so we're expecting it all to go smoothly," Smothers said.

The new building is owned, not rented by Smothers, which she said is going to be a nice improvement for her.

"I think that when you get to start from scratch you have more opportunity to make it your own," Smothers said.

And start from scratch is just what she did. The new building was not in great condition when Smothers bought it and gave it a total rehab. With owning and remodeling their own building, the company had the opportunity to make it a little greener too. Smothers added energy efficient lighting, used recycled wood and installed a dual flush toilet in the new space.

"It just makes sense," Smothers said of the investments. "I pay rent to myself, it costs me less to run the business and it's saleable or rentable in the future."