Chicago Retail and Restaurant Thread

[spyguy]

Maybe, but probably a suburban location instead.

[pottebaum]

It says new store sites in Chicago and suburbs, though.

I was going to say maybe they'd look into the old Carson's, but don't they already have tenants arranged? Unless all that Whole Foods/Target stuff was just rumors.

[nomarandlee]

http://www.suntimes.com/business/430...tton16.article

The Gold Coast shuffle
RETAIL | District makes room for a bigger Barney's

June 16, 2007
BY SANDRA GUY sguy@suntimes.com

Shops in a tony shopping area bounded by Rush, Oak and State streets will close or move to temporary locations in a musical chairs of retail in the Gold Coast.

The shops will be replaced in two years by a flagship Barneys New York store, which will move from across the street at 25 E. Oak and double in size. The new Barneys will occupy nearly 100,000 square feet in a building to be designed in three, four and five stories so as not to look like a big box. Barneys could be joined by a second retailer in a 5,000-square-foot space.

"Barneys' decision to double its space sends a message to the international fashion world that Oak Street is a major force in luxury retail fashion," said Jeffrey Shapack, principal with Chicago-based M Development.

Demolition of the existing buildings will start within six weeks. The buildings house Bang & Olufsen electronics; Madison and Friends children's clothing store; Sarah's Pastries and Candies, and Tender Buttons, among others.

One of the shops that has yet to relocate is Tender Buttons, 946 N. Rush, a store that sold antique, rare, vintage and regular buttons ranging in price from 50 cents to hundreds of dollars.

"I'm keeping my options open. I haven't found the right location," said Millicent Safro, who opened the Tender Buttons store 17 years ago with her now-deceased partner, Diane Epstein.

"I love Chicago tremendously, and I love Chicago people," Safro said Friday.

The original Tender Buttons store in New York, inside a brownstone at 143 E. 62nd St. on the Upper East Side, will remain open, and the retailer will soon put up a Web site, Safro said.

Safro co-authored a book on buttons with Epstein, and Epstein wrote two other books, all titled Buttons. The women fell in love with buttons after they regularly visited a Manhattan button shop in the early 1960s and became fascinated with pre-World War II buttons made of materials such as ivory and pearl.

The owner of the property being razed, M Development, also owns the shuttered Esquire Theater and adjacent property, and is helping displaced retailers move to vacant buildings from 70 to 104 E. Oak. The developer intends to replace the Esquire, at 58-68 E. Oak, and the adjacent property with luxury retail on the ground level and a restaurant and 100-room boutique hotel above.

Other retailers' plans are:

• • Bang & Olufsen will close its store at 15 E. Oak on June 27, and will operate out of its Arlington Heights corporate office during the summer. It will open a new store in the fall at the former Tree Studios at State and Ohio, a spokeswoman said.

• • Papa Milano Restaurant at 951 N. State. closed May 31.

• • Madison and Friends and the Denim Lounge, at 940 N. Rush, will close June 28 and reopen July 2 at 72 E. Oak. The retailer will open a permanent location Aug. 4 on the second floor of 43 E. Oak.

• • Sarah's Pastries and Candies, a high-end sweets shop at 11 E. Oak, will close June 30 and reopen July 3 at 70 E. Oak. The new space is twice the size of the existing one and should allow for indoor seating. Sarah's Pastries and Candies intends to stay in the Gold Coast for the long term, but has yet to find a permanent home, said owner Sarah Levy.

[spyguy]

http://www.suntimes.com/business/430...ton16a.article

Levy mulls move to Macy's kitchen

June 16, 2007
BY SANDRA GUY

A candy and pastries kitchen may return to the 13th floor of Macy's on State, formerly Marshall Field's, but it won't be making Frango Mints.

Sarah Levy, owner of Sarah's Pastries and Candies at 11 E. Oak St. is, like her neighbors, moving out of that block and reopening nearby, but she also is negotiating with Macy's to install a kitchen in a portion of the vacant 13th floor of the Macy's flagship.

Sarah's kitchen would be located in a separate section of the 13th floor than the old Frango's kitchen, and would replace Sarah's existing kitchen in Lyons.

If the kitchen is built, it would serve a new Sarah's Pastries and Candies shop on Macy's ground floor.

"We only need a couple thousand square feet" for the kitchen, said Levy, who is the daughter of Levy Restaurant co-founder Mark Levy and the niece of Levy Restaurant Chairman Larry Levy.

The new candy shop, still under negotiation, would replace the shuttered Australian Ice Cream shop near Macy's entrance at Wabash and Randolph.

A Macy's North spokeswoman confirmed Friday that negotiations are under way for both the Sarah's shop and kitchen, but said no leases have been signed.

The 13th floor area where Sarah's kitchen would be located previously was used to make Field's bakery goods, said spokeswoman Jennifer McNamara.

"We need to determine if the space is operational," McNamara said.

Macy's executives said in April 2006 that they intended to install new concepts in the State Street store's three vacant upper floors.

"We are still looking into possibilities of using other floors, but we have no definitive plans yet," said McNamara.

Sarah's Pastries and Candies could expand into a bigger space on the ground floor later in the year, after a debut shop of Martha Stewart's home-decor merchandise is relocated elsewhere in the store.

Martha Stewart's exclusive designs for Macy's will debut this fall.

[spyguy]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...ck=1&cset=true

Macy's incubator ready to hatch
Design studio, a first for chain, aims to keep talent in Chicago

BY SANDRA JONES
Published June 16, 2007

The anticipated Chicago fashion design incubator at Macy's State Street flagship, more than a year in the works, is slated to debut this fall.

Mayor Richard Daley and Macy's executives are to unveil details at a Monday press conference, according to officials at the city's department of cultural affairs. It will mark the first fashion incubator in Macy's 800-plus store chain.

The mayor hopes the incubator nurtures young designers and keeps talent from leaving for the fashion scenes in New York and Los Angeles. Macy's, for its part, is eager to win over Chicago shoppers who miss the old Marshall Field's and to find a use for empty space in the sprawling 1.8 million-square-foot downtown emporium, one of the largest stores in the country.

The design studio will be on the 11th floor of the flagship in an area that years ago housed a buying operation. An advisory board is expected to select a half-dozen designers to participate in the program.

[ardecila]

Great. Whenever I go there, I always end up looking up the atriums and noticing the slightly-creepy vibes of the disused upper floors. I need to check those out while they're still disused.

Of course, then I go outside and notice the very creepy vibes of seeing the name Macy's on State Street.

[nomarandlee]

http://www.suntimes.com/business/435...mart20.article


Wal-Mart eyes 5 S. Side sites for supercenters
BIG-BOX DEBATE | If aldermen object, retailer will try neighboring wards

June 20, 2007
BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter/fspielman@suntimes.com

Wal-Mart is prepared to move "in six to 12 months, maybe sooner" to build as many as five South Side supercenters, but the world's largest retailer is scouting sites in neighboring wards in case local aldermen resist, a top official said Tuesday.

A pair of sites that once housed Ryerson Steel plants -- at 83rd and Stewart in Chatham and 111th and the Bishop Ford Expy. in Pullman -- could be first in line for new Wal-Marts, primarily because they appear to be the paths of least resistance.

The City Council rezoned the Chatham site in 2004 -- on a promise that Wal-Mart "is not and will not be" part of the development -- and all that's needed now is a sign-off by the Department of Planning and Development.

The Pullman site has support from Ald. Anthony Beale (9th), who voted for the Daley-vetoed big-box minimum wage ordinance but believes Wal-Mart has "changed its tune" since then.

Wal-Mart is also looking to build at 47th and State, 63rd and Halsted and 63rd and State.

"If we get all the stars aligned, we might want to bundle the projects and move on all [five] at once. We could do two at a time or one at a time. The field is very open," said Roderick Scott, Wal-Mart's regional manager for community affairs.

"We're making an active effort to speak with [the local] aldermen. We can't move forward without them. If it is proven in the near future they're not interested -- maybe they don't want the controversy or they made commitments to restrict development -- we will look for opportunities in adjacent wards. We've been approached by [other] aldermen who are very interested."

Ald. Howard Brookins (21st) said Wal-Mart "met with real estate people last week" and decided to forge ahead at 83rd and Stewart. That leaves the decision in the hands of city planners.


'A food desert'

Beale said he's prepared to convene hearings on the proposed Pullman Wal-Mart because "a lot of things have changed" since he voted for the big-box ordinance.

The General Assembly raised the state's minimum wage to $7.50 an hour. Wal-Mart has given women and minorities the opportunity to build and work at its Austin store. And the company has opened the door to talks with union leaders that could set the stage for a "living wage" ordinance.

"We have a food desert in our community," Beale said. "We're in desperate need of a quality grocery store. If Wal-Mart would commit to the site on 111th, that would give me two quality grocery stores and over 1,000 jobs."

Newly elected Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd) said she would be willing to talk to Wal-Mart about the site at 47th and State. But she is "not wavering" from her support for the ordinance that would have required Wal-Mart and other big box retailers to pay their employees at least $13 an hour in wages and benefits by 2010.

"The threshold question for me is are they willing to pay the living wage and benefits that have been voted on by the City Council before the mayor's veto. Unless they do that, perhaps they have some other sites they're interested in," she said.

[The Urban Politician]

^ Here's crossing my fingers hoping not to see huge, ugly, wasteful seas of parking at least in the supercenters planned on 47th and on 63rd

[spyguy]

http://chicagorealestatedaily.com/cg...ws.pl?id=25392

Wrigley looking to rejuvenate retail space

By Eddie Baeb

With a bump from Trump, Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. is looking to revitalize the vacant retail space in the Wrigley Building.

Wrigley has hired Chicago-based Stone Real Estate Corp. to market the restaurant in the north tower, formerly occupied by the 410 Club, and a smaller space in the south tower that was a bank for many years. A Wrigley spokesman says the company is looking for upscale retail and a fine-dining restaurant for the two-building complex at 400 and 410 N. Michigan Ave.

"We've always been a high-traffic area," the spokesman says. "Obviously, the area is evolving with the addition of the developer up the river."

Wrigley's move comes as New York real estate mogul Donald Trump is beginning to market about 100,000 square feet of retail space in the Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago, which is just west at 401 N. Wabash Ave. Shoppers on Michigan Avenue will have to walk through the plaza between the two Wrigley buildings to get to the Trump retail shops, which are to open in spring 2009.

Both the 410 Club, a private lunch and supper club, and the bank closed last year, leaving about 20,000 square feet vacant. The two existing retail tenants, a Pearle Vision Center and a Joel Oppenheimer Inc. art gallery, are to remain.

David Stone, president of retail brokerage Stone Real Estate, says the new vacancies and the evolution of retail moving southward down Michigan Avenue probably played a bigger role in Wrigley's decision than the Trump development.

"They'd like to add some life to the building — some color and excitement," Mr. Stone says. "The building is one of the great tourist attractions in Chicago, and I think they want to take better advantage of that."

He says in a marketing brochure that an estimated 31,127 pedestrians pass the building every weekday, second only to the Water Tower Place block.

Mr. Stone envisions an upscale restaurant in the 15,000-square-foot former 410 Club that would serve both lunch and dinner with some banquet-room space. The restaurant would also feature outdoor seating in the courtyard between the two Wrigley buildings. He says Wrigley wants a list of prospective restaurants within about 60 days.

"They're looking for a restaurant that will attract tourists and residents and be an amenity to the office building," Mr. Stone says.

For the former bank space, Mr. Stone would like to land an apparel retailer or some other upscale store that would take advantage of the windows overlooking the Chicago River.

Clearly, both a restaurant and a new apparel store would stand to benefit from the Trump development.

"The time is right for a redevelopment of the retail at the Wrigley Building," says Brian Whiting, a senior vice-president with Chicago-based J. F. McKinney & Associates, which has advised Wrigley on its headquarters building. "The location is a connection point between North Michigan Avenue shopping and Millennium Park. In addition, the plaza between the two Wrigley towers will be Trump's umbilical cord to North Michigan Avenue."

[spyguy]

http://www.suntimes.com/business/roe...eder20.article

RESTAURANT ROW?

Matthew O'Malley, owner of the Chicago Firehouse restaurant at 1401 S. Michigan, is part of a group that acquired the historic former home of the Chicago Defender, 2400 S. Michigan. In a deal brokered by Jameson Realty Group, the O'Malley partnership also bought a vacant lot at 2409 S. Wabash and the old Tiki Room property at 55 E. 24th that, according to local lore, once was owned by Jesse Owens.

The new owners' plans are unknown. The properties are thought to have sold for more than $4 million together. O'Malley, you might recall, was part of the insider group that got preferred terms to operate the Park Grill at Millennium Park until the Sun-Times exposed the deal.

[spyguy]

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-b...ate=2007-06-23

Best Buy pulls plug on Chicago Place

Best Buy has dropped plans for a store in Chicago Place mall at 700 N. Michigan, sources say. The Minnesota electronics retailer was close to a deal last year to lease about 40,000 square feet above street level in the mall, which has struggled with vacancies. Best Buy remains interested in the area, sources say, and is scouting sites including the former CompUSA space on Chicago Avenue.[Eddie Baeb]

[spyguy]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...l=chi-news-hed

Oprah to open store

Tribune staff report
Published June 27, 2007, 9:02 AM CDT

First her television show. Then her magazine. Then a Broadway production. Next on the agenda is the Oprah store.

The Chicago-based entertainment mogul will open a retail store near her production studio on the West Side, WGN-Ch. 9 reported this morning.

Fans will be able to buy Oprah merchandise such as an Oprah iPod cover, African-designed baskets and clothes, the station said. Many of the products also can be found on her Web site.

Construction of the store is under way, but there is no word on when it will open.

[spyguy]

- edit

[nomarandlee]

AWESOME!!! That crux spot deserves a nice building. Its such a focal point that a nice retail building could look great. I trust Apple will make a nice building there.

[spyguy]

http://chicagorealestatedaily.com/cg...ws.pl?id=25524

Boutique store Elements moving to River North
By Monée Fields-White

Elements, a Chicago boutique that sells home furnishings, jewelry and handbags, is moving later this year to River North from Oak Street, before a building boom dramatically alters the once-quiet strip of small, high-end shops.

The new 4,000-square-foot store, 741 N. Wells St., is triple the size of the current location at 102 E. Oak St., says Chicago broker Jacqueline Hayes, who represented Elements.

“This is a hugely exciting move for” Elements owners Jeannine Dal Pra and Toby Glickman, Ms. Hayes says. Dal Pra and Glickman, who started the business 20 years ago, plan to expand its line of products and open a coffee bar at the new store. Elements is moving to a building that is being redeveloped and once housed a Joe’s Crab Shack restaurant, which is closed.

[Sir Isaac Newton]

That's good that they'll redevelop the North/Clybourn red line stop too....that stop is definitely in need of a makeover. Hopefully, once it is redeveloped, you'll see some more people taking the el when they want to shop in the North/Clybourn area, making the area slightly less of a clusterf*ck full of automobile traffic.

[Mr Downtown]

The Red Line runs north and south. Lincoln Park, Bucktown or Wicker Park residents traveling to North/Clybourn are mostly going east and west.

[Sir Isaac Newton]

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

The Red Line runs north and south. Lincoln Park, Bucktown or Wicker Park residents traveling to North/Clybourn are mostly going east and west.

And what's your point???? Bucktown and Wicker Park residents aren't going to take the red-line to North/Clybourn? Well, many more people who live near the Fullerton (which includes most Lincoln Parkers), Belmont, Addison stops (and stops beyond) will take the red line to North/Clybourn if they plan to shop in the area....once the station is restored, and the gas station, which a lot of beggars currently hang around at, gets replaced by the Apple store. Not to mention, many people would take the red-line north up to North/Clybourn if they want to shop at more moderately priced stores as opposed to Michigan Avenue.

[paytonc]

I dunno, Mr. D. -- new development at North & Clybourn has been giving the area more of a pedestrian vibe. I've been going to that Whole Foods in the evenings since I moved here (and you know how long that's been), and anecdotally there is far, far more pedestrian traffic in the area than I remember before. If there's a choice between a location on Michigan and one on Clybourn, I'll go to Clybourn; it's roughly on my way home, whereas Michigan requires a detour. I'm also always surprised at how many other people take the #72 over from WP/BT to Clybourn.

I even see ladies walking dogs, during the day, over by North & Elston, where it used to be just ladies walking back and forth, at night.

[Urbanight]

Hickey Freeman to open on Oak Street

By Sandra Jones
Tribune staff reporter
Published July 18, 2007, 10:47 AM CDT


Hickey Freeman, a unit of Chicago-based Hartmarx, plans to open a store at 114 E. Oak St. in September in one of two buildings currently occupied by Ultimo. It will be the company's only freestanding store in Chicago store.

The maker of men's tailored clothing also has two freestanding stores in New York and another store slated to open in San Francisco this fall.

Ultimo, the designer boutique that has been a longstanding fixture on the luxury retail strip, will remain at 116 E. Oak St. and expand to the upper levels.

Hickey-Freeman sells its clothing through department stores and specialty stores, but lately has been testing operating its own stores.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...i-bizfront-hed


Also, Tory Burch will being opening a store at 66 East Walton in September.
www.toryburch.com