After more than a decade on River Street in East Dundee, Motl Accounting and Payroll Vault is headed to the next town over.
The business recently closed on its purchase of the former Shelley’s Bridal Couture building at 104 W. Main St. in West Dundee.
Shelley Murray, owner of the bridal salon since 1997, announced the shop’s closing in October. The building was previously home to Amy’s Bridal, which opened in 1985.
For some Motl employees, this is the second time they will have offices in the village’s downtown.
Chuck Motl founded the bookkeeping and tax preparation firm in 1980. Several acquisitions necessitated the need for larger quarters and so in 1992, the company relocated from Schaumburg to 89 W. Main St. in West Dundee.
After outgrowing the space, the firm was once again on the hunt for larger digs and found it in the East Dundee building at 324 N. River St. The company set up shop in 2007.
“We thought that was going to be our forever place,” said Blair Motl, who oversees the firm’s payroll.
The company’s growth, however, has again made a larger space necessary.
“When we moved into this office, we had six or seven people working for us,” Blair Motl said. “Now we’re up to 13. It definitely grew.”
He and two of his brothers are longtime Motl Accounting employees.The firm is not planning to take over the former bridal shop space until after tax season.
In the meantime, construction dust will be flying. Plans for the building, which was built in 1878, include exposing the brick walls, converting the back of the building into the new entrance, and creating 2,400 square feet of office space for rent on the second floor.
“We’re looking for two to three tenants,” Chuck Motl said.
The Motls plan to lease the East Dundee space.
Staff only recently learned about the new building and got to tour the new digs on Friday. Several bottles of champagne were on hand to celebrate the larger space.
West Dundee officials are excited to the accounting firm has chosen to come back to the village.
“Their successful and growing office operation will add to daytime population which in turn has the potential to generate a positive spillover effect through additional support of downtown businesses,” said Tim Scott, West Dundee’s community development director.
“Additionally, we’re encouraged by the prospect of having their stewardship of another important Main Street building as recent building rehabilitation and the new business they house have contributed to the ongoing revitalization of downtown,” Scott said.
