CHAMPAIGN — A local business is shutting its doors after a little over 12 years of teasing brains, peddling puzzles and combining entertainment with education.
April 30 will mark the final day of business for Dr. G’s Brainworks, unless inventory sells out before then. The family-run business said that this is a “very difficult decision” that comes with “mixed emotions.”
“As we announced in early December, after seven years, it’s time for our family to focus on other priorities,” said owner John Dimit III. “While we received some inquiries from potential new owners, unfortunately, none came to fruition.”
Dimit previously said that he was looking for someone to buy the business so that he could focus on his full-time position at Parkland College, where he is a technical support specialist.
A going-out-of-business sale will begin Wednesday, and Dr. G’s Brainworks will accept gift cards and certificates “as long as we have reasonable inventory,” the business said.
The store, which is located at Market Place Shopping Center, has been voted the No. 1 educational/game store in The News-Gazette’s People’s Choice Awards three years in a row.
Dr. G’s Brainworks was founded by psychologist and gerontologist Dr. William Gingold. The business initially opened at Urbana’s Lincoln Square Mall in late 2013, and the Champaign mall location opened the following year.
Dimit has been with the business from the start and became its owner in 2019.
“We are so proud of our incredible staff and could not be more grateful to the community for your tremendous support,” he said. “It has been an honor to carry on the important mission of cognitive health that Dr. Gingold began in 2013. We have loved being able to bring people together through creativity, learning, education and fun.”
