Day care likely to buy Joliet house eyed by tattoo studio

JOLIET -- The fountain outside of the empty house at 915 W. Jefferson St. could be taken apart this weekend, a sign of things to come.

The fountain won't go well in the playground of a day care, and that's what Staci Martin hopes to open there by sometime in February.

"Soon, you'll see a fence go up and a couple of little things I can do now," Martin said.

The Jefferson Street business is a big step for Martin, who now runs Staci Jo's Day Care out of her home, and a big change for what previously was planned for the location.

The spot had been sought by Mark Tomac, owner of the West Side Customs tattoo studio. But the city council rejected the permit that Tomac needed, and he has since closed down his Ruby Street business.

The pretty yellow house at 915 W. Jefferson is best remembered as the longtime location of The Flower Shop, which closed a few years ago.

Martin said she is interested in buying the building and is looking into that possibility. But whether she buys or leases, Martin plans to move in as planned. She received the needed zoning approval from the city last month.

Bigger plans for the future include the possibility of adding a late-shift day care that would run until midnight sometime later next year. The later hours would fit with the work schedules of industrial workers, Martin said.

"There's so much industrial in the surrounding area; 3 p.m. to 11 is a big shift," she said.

The later hours would require city approval.

Martin also is looking for a director designee and other additional staff as she expands her business. She oversees three children now and will be able to provide day care for as many as 30 in the new location.

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