Attendance began to dwindle in the late 1980s, and Poplar Creek faced competition from the opening of the World Music Theater (now First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre) in Tinley Park in 1990. Sears acquired the property in 1989 and allowed Poplar Creek to remain in operation until 1994.
In 2006, the Sears Centre opened in Hoffman Estates, near the former location of Poplar Creek.
Review of a 1989 concert by The Replacements at Poplar Creek