Buckle set to open at Edwardsville Crossing in mid-October

Buckle is converting the former Beauty Brands space at 6659 Edwardsville Crossing Drive into a new store, and the company's own hiring posts say it plans to open in mid-October. Interior construction has been underway at the Edwardsville site since early summer, and Buckle signage was already up by late July, according to The Intelligencer.

The store will fill a 6,000-square-foot space that sat empty after Beauty Brands closed in late December 2025. That figure comes from the shopping center's own leasing materials, which showed Buckle in the space as early as April.

Key details

• Business: Buckle, a specialty retailer of men's, women's and youth apparel, denim, footwear and accessories
• Address: 6659 Edwardsville Crossing Dr., Edwardsville, IL 62025
• Center: Edwardsville Crossing Shopping Center, Site K
• Size: 6,000 square feet, per Capitol Realty Group's leasing brochure
• Previous tenant: Beauty Brands
• Status: Under construction, with a mid-October 2026 opening stated in Buckle job postings
• Exact opening date: Not yet announced

Where exactly is the new Buckle in Edwardsville?

The store is going into the former Beauty Brands storefront inside Edwardsville Crossing Shopping Center. Capitol Realty Group, which markets the center, places it at Governors' Parkway and Route 159, with access from Route 159, Troy Road and Governors' Parkway and four traffic signals serving the property.

The center's major tenants include Dierbergs, TJ Maxx, Michaels, Petco, Old Navy, Ashley, Books-A-Million, Ross Dress for Less, Carter's/OshKosh, Kirkland's and Men's Wearhouse, according to Capitol Realty's materials.

Buckle's internal recruiting system refers to the location as store "575 EDWARDSVILLE IL."

[LINK: Capitol Realty Group Edwardsville Crossing leasing brochure]

How long has Buckle been planned for the site?

Longer than the public may have known. An earlier version of the Edwardsville Crossing leasing brochure listed Beauty Brands in Site K at 6,000 square feet. An updated version dated April 29, 2026, swapped Beauty Brands out and listed Buckle in the same 6,000-square-foot space.

That put Buckle on the landlord's published site plan roughly three months before the first newspaper coverage of the project.

The timeline, based on available records and reporting:

• December 28, 2025: Beauty Brands closes its Edwardsville store, as reported by the Belleville News-Democrat
• By April 29, 2026: Capitol Realty's brochure shows Buckle in Site K
• Early July 2026: Interior build-out begins, based on comments from the construction superintendent
• July 27: A construction superintendent with Horizon Retail Construction tells The Intelligencer an October opening is likely
• August 3: The Intelligencer and The Telegraph publish the first substantial story on the project
• August 27: Buckle job postings naming the address and a mid-October opening begin appearing
• September: Interviews begin, according to the postings
• September 28: Postings are still being updated and still list a mid-October opening

Beauty Brands had been at the location since 2007. Its Edwardsville and Shiloh stores closed as part of the company's exit from its St. Louis-area locations, the Belleville News-Democrat reported.

What has been reported about construction?

The Intelligencer's August 3 article, which also ran in The Telegraph, reported that interior construction was underway at the address. The Horizon Retail Construction superintendent told the paper on July 27 that work had started less than a month earlier.

The newspaper said it reached out to Buckle for comment but had not heard back by publication. As of October 1, Buckle has not issued a press release about the Edwardsville store, and Edwardsville does not yet appear on the company's online store locator.

What will the Edwardsville store offer?

Buckle describes itself as a specialty retailer with denim as a major focus, and its corporate materials call the company a "denim destination." It carries its own BKE private label alongside national brands.

Company-wide, Buckle lists services that include personal shopping and styling, free pickup of online orders and same-day inventory purchasing at participating locations. It also offers complimentary hemming within 30 days of purchase at select stores.

Buckle has not yet confirmed which of those services the Edwardsville location will offer. One hiring post points to at least one of them: the company is recruiting a seamstress/tailor for the store to handle in-store alterations, including hemming jeans and pants, with some on-the-spot alterations.

Who is Buckle hiring?

Buckle's postings for the Edwardsville store cover sales, store support, freight, alterations and management. Advertised pay ranges include:

• Sales Teammate (full or part time): $15 to $18 per hour
• Store Support Teammate: $15 to $17 per hour
• Freight Coordinator: $15 to $18 per hour, depending on position
• Seamstress/Tailor: $15 to $20 per hour
• Leader in Training: $15 to $20 per hour
• Floor Leader: $18 to $22 per hour
• Assistant in Training: $19 to $23 per hour
• Assistant Store Manager: $20 to $24 per hour
• Management Trainee: $20 to $24 per hour

Buckle notes that some sales positions pay a base rate plus commission. The postings do not state how many people the store will employ.

How does Edwardsville fit Buckle's store footprint?

The company's nearest existing locations are inside St. Clair Square in Fairview Heights and at the St. Louis Galleria. The Edwardsville store will be the company's first in Madison County and will sit in a shopping center rather than an enclosed mall.

Buckle reported 447 stores in 42 states following the second quarter of its 2026 fiscal year. It ended that quarter with 446 stores, up from 440 a year earlier. New stores announced earlier in 2026 include locations in Baraboo, Wisconsin; Gretna, Nebraska; Buckeye, Arizona; Weatherford, Texas; Foley, Alabama; and Dawsonville, Georgia.

Capitol Realty's 2026 marketing brochure includes 2025 trade-area estimates for Edwardsville Crossing. These are the landlord's figures, not numbers Buckle has cited.

• Within 3 miles: 37,469 residents, 14,190 households, average household income of $127,973
• Within 5 miles: 57,881 residents, 21,861 households, average household income of $125,479
• Within 10 miles: 159,108 residents and 64,461 households

What happens next?

Buckle's job postings put the opening in mid-October 2026, but the company has not announced a specific date, store hours or a grand opening event. An Edwardsville page on Buckle.com, which typically lists hours, phone number and in-store services, has not been published.

Interviews for store positions began in September, and listings were still being updated as of September 28.

Sources: Capitol Realty Group's Edwardsville Crossing leasing brochures, including the version dated April 29, 2026; Buckle job postings for the Edwardsville location; Buckle's online store locator and corporate materials; The Intelligencer and The Telegraph; the Belleville News-Democrat.

618 Homes is a real estate and development publication based in Edwardsville, covering the Metro East. We report on new development, construction, business openings and closings, infrastructure, and the local housing market.

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