WaterMark Corners, a Moline Centre pioneer and John Deere Commons staple, is closing its doors, the gift and stationery store at 1500 River Drive said on Facebook on Monday, Jan. 1.
A closing date was not specified in the Facebook post for the unique, curated retail outlet located across the street from the John Deere Pavilion except to say the specialty shop will remain open for a January closeout sale.
“We’ve chosen to close WaterMark Corners so our family can refocus our energy on Trimble Funeral Home & Crematory, which has served the Quad Cities for 182 years,” the store’s Facebook post said.
“While this news might leave you wondering where you’ll shop next, don’t miss our store closing sale! We’ll be open through January and we’d love to see you before our doors close.”
The unique, high-quality specialty gift shop – owned by the mother-daughter team of Barbara and Amy Trimble – has been located in a trio of historic buildings rescued by the Trimble family with the assistance of Renew Moline.
Shop preserves history
The mother-daughter duo also posted a video on Dec. 26, 2023, about the upcoming closing that can be viewed here. More than 100 customers and fans posted tributes to the store and its owners and staff calling it a Quad Cities treasure that has made a lasting impact on the community.
WaterMark Corners officially opened on Sept. 15, 1999. Throughout its existence it continued to be a key partner of that downtown Moline revitalization organization. The multi-story shop will have operated in that spot for just over 24 years.
The restoration of the property itself was a lengthy one according to a post about the process on the Renew Moline website that was previously submitted by WaterMark Corners.
“Our search for the perfect location brought us to the John Deere Commons, with the newly opened MARK of the Quad Cities (now the TaxSlayer Center), the John Deere Pavilion and the Radisson on John Deere Commons,” the post said.
“The energy of the development in this area immediately captured our attention, and before long, we purchased the buildings on the corner of River Drive and 15th Street,” it continued. “The buildings were not ready to be occupied, however. They had been unoccupied and abandoned for years, and it took a full year of extensive renovation before we could open WaterMark.”
WaterMark retail pioneer
During its two-plus decades of operations, the shop also has been a pioneer of sorts.
For example, WaterMark has been recognized for its innovative social-media marketing including with the Forbes Magazine’s inaugural Main Street Awards for Forward-Thinking Small Businesses. In announcing WaterMark’s award for Best Social Media in 2017, Forbes said, “Thanks to a clever, weekly giveaway program on Facebook, WaterMark Corners – an Illinois-based gift and (stationery) store – dramatically increased its social media footprint and the store’s sales.”
The store and its owners also have worked to keep the store alive and thriving even in the most difficult of times. In November of 2021, for example, the Trimbles cut the ribbon on the Corner Bar in time for its 23rd Annual Holiday Open House and in the latter days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
