Panera Bread. Open early, open late, can get a full meal, or can get carry out. Good quality, not too expensive food.

I would like to see a family owned general store in that spot. Something that we haven't had for a while.

Why would Skokie never see bix box stores in downtown Skokie, is it because the stores themselves feel they will not make money there? or is because Skokie board will not pernit it?

Everything is out of the building (1st and 2nd floor), the framing place is out, the store the north is vacant, the photo place has been torn down. To me it seems as if the village is looking to attract a developer to create mixed use housing with stores on the first floor. Look what happened at niles & Oakton (both sides of Oakton) & just north of FNBOS (now chase, corner Lincoln & Oakton.

A replica of Desiree Restaurant...

Knowing the succes of Libertad, which has brought upscale and younger diners to the area...another similar type restaurant, to include outdoor dinning would be great. Agree with Albert Michaels, the current village board won't allow a big box store on that corner. Sadly we'll never see change til the current board is defeated. Vote the out in April.

Nothing. Same thing that replaced the two vacant lots on Dempster. Vacant three years now after the village purchased the property and razed it. Nothing. A whole lotta nothing. Same as the wonderful new Science and Technology park. Whole lotta nothing. "Trustee Candidate Randy Roberts Does a Little Bit of Everything." And a whole lotta nothing.

Ever get the feeling that Skokie can't even tread water anymore? That the water is starting to cover our collective heads. Skokie residents had better get registered and figure out it's time to dump this one party "Caucus" government. It has not done well in more than 20 years. Utter failure.

Ever feel that buying property in Skokie was the biggest mistake you ever made?

And now Gail, if you will please : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJr6FknZhpM

Is Randy Roberts serious when he says 'we've already started creating a very rich and vibrant, ethnic downtown'? I've lived in Skokie over 35 years. Right now the only thing that draws me downtown is the Library.

I would like to see a family restaurant that's open evenings. Not all children like Thai food, or Jamaican, or middle eastern. Annie's is very good, but only open until 4 p.m.

I could not get into the restaurants downtown last Sat. because I did not have a reservation so yes, progress is being made on the dining out experience in downtown Skokie. A live music experience and venue will help round out the downtown options and make downtown Skokie a destination place.

What is the current situation with the ownership of that building? I understand that the condition of it is not up to par. Is that true? Does anyone have a clue if it is for sale or for rent? or both? Can the Village use its eminent domain power to take the building away from the present owner if it is not kept up? Does anyone know?

Perhaps an establishment that peddles spirits? I can get a bite of supper, some tobacco for my pipe, and even borrow the latest Dickens tome all in the same city block. Yet when the winter's chill necessitates a nightly nip of brandy, where are the hawkers of inebriants, intoxicants, and potable elixirs?

A 100% gluten free restaurant/ bakery/ cafe!!!!

An upscale spirits / entertainment venue would work nicely in both filling a need and attracting people downtown. Anchor Tenant. A health oriented bakery, Old Fashioned Ice Cream and Diner, or even a Caribou Coffee, tenant two. A dance or yoga studio upstairs. Tenant three. Cant get tenants? Turn it into a "found" art gallery and event space to get some traffic downtown and those signs out of the windows. Another mixed use development would bring more people downtown by virtue of more of them living there, but that'd be several years off.

What Kevin? Not into eating sweetened twigs and leaves?

It seems to me that the inhabitants of our village spend a disproportionate amount on their children -- I am not saying this is a bad thing at all. Venture west of the High-Way and you'll find that establishments with Tramp-'o'-Leens, inflated bouncing contraptions, and other sundry recreations are almost always overflowing with Birth-Day Boys & Girls and their families.

Wouldn't such a place of youthful diversion bring business into Downtown Skokie? A roller-skating rink, perhaps? A penny arcade and nickelodeon? A gymnasium with doo-dads, doo-hickeys, spinners, poppers, twirlers, and whirl-i-gigs?

Perhaps instead of catering to us aging penny-pinchers, the titans of commerce should focus on that demographic upon whom endless income is lavished -- children.

How about another Walgreens?

hey dh maybe they need a bank?

A jazz club! ;-)

We're getting all of Evanston's unwanted residents, let instead borrow some positive attractions from them, and maybe attract better residents here. I think a late night live music venue with attached dining, like SPACE in Evanston, would be great. For the younger crowd, lets emulate BooCoo in Evanston and give the kids somewhere to go after school besides out on the street. How about an internet cafe? Then bring back the art school and some other craft shops to fit the character of Oakton. With the library across the street and the historical museum behind, they could create a real synergy to attact families back to Skokie. Don't forget to add a multi-story attached garage in place of the existing lot, to deal with lack of parking and Midwest winters. Then in the summer, open the parking lot up for a huge weekend garage sale (also like Evanston) since holding one in an actual garage or yard is practically been banned in Skokie. But first we need to elect Trustees that actually listen to our ideas and care about the community. Not Trustees that try to sneak in new fees and bureaucracy to chase good residents and property owners out of town. (Read about their attempt to institute a "Tenant Tax" in Skokie, at www.SkokieLandlord.org)

A crowdsourced business idea funded through a local crowdfunding website (FunderHut). We are only limited by our imagination!

I think a Starbucks or a Caribou Coffee wouldn't hurt. I know its not family owned or what everyone WANTS, but it has the brand loyalty that nothing downtown Skokie has.

I'd like to see the space occupied by any legal use deemed suitable by the investors willing to accept the risk.

How about City Winery? Similar to Evanston's SPACE...
http://www.citywinery.com/chicago/

Live music, good food, warm fire place, decent bar...

There's no parking!!!! How can anyone run a successful restaurant, let alone business, with no parking???!!!!

Obviously a gun-store and range.

There's going to be a lot of demand when concealed carry happens this summer, and right now there is no place to go for practice, instruction, or certification South or East of Des Plaines.

That area is never more festive and lively than during the Backlot Bash at the end of each summer.

I propose we shut down Oakton Street, hire the toothless and illiterate carnival folk as Park District employees, and make Downtown Skokie a year-round fairground wonderland!

FYI - The Village/Trustees have been working diligently on numerous fronts to try to get a suitable owner/tennant for the old Desiree space. The current owner has been trying to rebuild, lease or sell the property to anyone willing to make the investment. there in lays the problem; the property is in need of tons of money to make it inhabitable. The owner has not been able to secure financing due to market conditions. They continue to pay the tax on the property.
The Village has been working very hard on several deals that unfortunatly have fallen through. I believe that the Village is doing what it can to move this along in a responsable manner. As president of the Independent Merchants of Downtown Skokie, i am a little better informed on some of the "deals" that have fallen through, for one reason or the other. Some of the ideas that have been mentioned on this forum are good ones, however you need to have someone step up with the money to breath life into those ideas. People must understand that in our country, it is private enterprise that make things happen - NOT GOVERNMENT. In my opinion, this is a good thing!!!

to the guy who mentioned the outdoor dining at the Village Inn (my restaurant) - We (IMODS and the Village of Skokie) have sucsessfully changed the ordinance to allow outdoor dining on the sidewalks of our downtown. Is it perfect? No, however as our downtown gets a facelift (Spring 2013) you will see increased oppertunity for outdoor dining.

Kevin in correct with a couple of issues. Crime is up........anyone walk outside after 8pm anymore without looking behind themselves the whole way? Moved here with my family 10 years ago because Skokie was safe............thats over now. So many vacant stores.............downtown Skokie is a joke. Current Skokie government should be removed and new idea put in. If I could sell my house and not take just a huge hit, my family and I would be gone tomorrow. Very Very disappointed in the leadership in Skokie !!!

Put another Walgreens there. That's Skokie's answer to the UBAA site. Remove the quaint and fill it with the useless. You wonder why everybody goes to Evanston to spend their money now...

The old-fashioned store front would be perfect for a 'Margie's Candies'. If they are looking to expand from Chicago, this would be a good fit. It resembles the original Margies store. http://www.margiesfinecandies.com/

We can blame a bad economy or entrepreneurs not wanting to build with thier own money, but a lot of the blame needs to be put on the unimaginative shoulders of Skokie government. Our neighbors in Evanston always seem to have meaningful plans under construction or consideration. Just consider the Trader Joes', GFS store, the two live music venues (SPACE and 27 Alive), multiple vibrant shopping districts and the news about a possible bowling alley and a 3 building performance arts center. Why can't Skokie successfully build places like this?? I realize TIF districts help, but a forward thinking government doesn't hurt, either. The longer I live here (20 years now), the more incensed I get.

--Part 1--

A most productive way to begin to think about what should occupy the Desiree space is to ask the right questions to guide the thought process.

--What assumptions have been made that are correct and-or- faulty?
--Does that location have special significance for the whole downtown area?
--Is there a certain character that is desirable for the downtown area to be associated with?
--Why has that location been so vacant for 10 years?
--What are the main negatives of that property?
--What are the main attractants and positives of that property?
--What can the Village do to attract a business or residence facility to utilize that
space?

There are many more questions that can be raised but these represent a good start to point us in the right planned direction.

----Some Comments on the Questions I Raised----

Assumptions--Randy Roberts is correct that chain stores or big box stores are not going to locate here, including Trader Joes and Starbucks. Why. The two just mentioned have been approached by the Village and have turn down the opportunity to locate here. An attractive chain is not likely to locate here because they would need to be assured of a certain minimum level of consumer traffic that has never occurred in the downtown area.

Big Box stores are absolutely out of the question. There is not enough space or parking. Also, it would overwhelm the smaller businesses in the surrounding area.

---to be continued--

--Part 2--

This location is THE KEY to the whole downtown revitalization. It is located at the most visible place where the most people pass by to go to the municipal buildings, Village Hall & Skokie Library, and the Village Green. It is at the main intersections with the most traffic in the area--Lincoln, Oakton & Niles Center. What goes in there will impact on the kind of development for the rest of downtown.

It is counterproductive to just "fill that space" without paying attention to how it will fit its role as a catalyst for downtown renewal. Stop thinking of just any kind of store just because of your own personal taste or imitate places in other towns that would not necessarily work in this space in Skokie.

The direction that downtown seems to be going is toward small specialty stores and ethnic type restaurants that would appeal to a broader more upscale market in order to attract people from beyond the immediate residential area and may even beyond the borders of Skokie.

The residents already living in the vicinity are not bringing economic vitality to the establishments. A big disappointed I believe is the more upscale residents in the newer condos recently built here do not seem to shop much or frequent the expanding eateries there.

Thus whatever located at the Desiree location must be able to act as a feeder for customers to frequent other businesses in the area, thus spur its revitalization.

--to be continued--

--Part 3--

The working class residents of the area have a multitude of places to frequent east of Skokie Blvd.

Why vacant for 10 years? Probably for a multitude of reasons. Money drying up with an uncertain economy and banisters hoarding deposits. Poor condition of the building. Poor track record of economic viability of that property. Unstable influx of population taking up residence in the surrounding area. Lack of incentives. Just to name a few. One that is not a factor: Village officials can't be blamed for lacking effort which has been continual & persistent.

The main negatives of that property: Outdated building in need of much renovation. Needs to be torn down to be attractive to a business that will fulfill some of the needs to spur development of the rest of downtown.

Should that location be multi use, residential, strictly commercial, office bldg., a main store & smaller stores? Residential will fulfill nothing to revitalize the area. Same with an office bldg. or certain kind of commercial uses which will not act as a feeder or will generate little traffic such as another banister, or proprietary non-college college or school which will be a fly-by-night establishment.

Above all, it is better to leave that spot vacant for now than to land just any kind of tenant whose sustainability will be suspect & not likely to act as a feeder & catalyst for the rest of the area. Think of the whole area & not just that location.

Village clown manager rigoni - Skokie village manager since 1987!!!!!
Village clown mayor van dusen - Skokie mayor since 1999!!!!
What direction has the downtown (and Skokie) taken? Nothing but down.
What has Park Ridge, Elmhurst ( the list goes on and on) done in the last 10-20 years?
Built downtowns that are to be envied.
These clowns are part of a corrupt machine that lines pockets of developers (Terraco, etc - anyone want another Walgreens built in town?, anyone?) etc, etc.
Nothing will change until everyone in city hall is thrown the hell out.
On a final note, do you think carjackings, muggings, shootings would go over well in a town like Rosemont? No at all.
So, we have clown leaders that lack vision (Elmhurst, Park Ridge) and that lack a spine (Rosemont).
What are we left with???

--Addendum to Part 3--

In hurrying to finish, I noticed in Part 3 that twice is used the non-existent term banisters when I meant "banksters", my nomenclature for banks that are one of the two major forces for a near depression almost occurring during this near economic collapse. Why the error twice? I just noticed on the keyboard the letter 'i' is just above the letter 'k'. Still, 3 lines above I noticed I typed 'banisters' again, which thankfully I proofread and thus caught the error of my ways before I pressed 'submit'.
I'm afraid I'm losing it.

TRADER JOE'S!!!

I could not believe how packed the Starbucks near Dempster and Crawford was when I dropped by a couple of weekends ago. Many groups of people sitting together and chatting - a real community feel. I find it difficult to believe that a coffee shop in the Desire location wouldn't be able to thrive in a similar way.

NEED TO PUT SOMETHING FOR KIDS

Some place that opens up early so that some of us can carpool, save on gas and still have a safe place to wait till our jobs open. Good food, good officer visiblility.

Seymour, I am speaking of the Starbucks near Crawford in a strip mall. It's become a real community center despite being tucked away. I find it hard to believe that between the tech park, the library half a block away, the el station and a decent amount of traffic that Skokie can't support a coffee shop downtown (not necessarily Starbucks). Similar to the Edgebrook one that replaced a diner. Happy to see lots of opinions on the matter.

Do you know what is hot, and you don't see except for in the city of Chicago? Craft Brewing. I think a Brew Pub where beer is made on site would do very well at this location. Maybe even expand into the drug store space next door, with a nice gastro pub menu.

I have lived in Skokie for nearly 9 years; now raising our kids here (we love our school district). It’s my opinion that downtown Skokie is a better place than it was 9 years ago. How can anyone dispute that? Does it still need a lot of work? Of course.

Our family has always enjoyed Annie’s, the Library, the farmers markets, and now Bug House Studio, Aw, Yeah Comics, Back Lot Bash, and movie nights on the village green. My wife and I love Libertad (Chicago Magazine best of Chicago 2012), Kabul House, and Yolo (both Michelin “Bib Gourmand Restaurants”) We have enjoyed Siunik, Tub Tim Thai, and Sweety Pies. My dad, who lives in Michigan, loves the European Deli! I also find Skokie Hardware to be much easier to deal with than Home Depot.

As you know the Patch limits your comments, so here are the rest of my comments.

Crime in Skokie? I personally haven’t been a victim, but no matter where I am (Skokie, Evanston, Wilmette, etc) I pay attention to my surroundings. I lock my car doors, I lock my doors when I leave home, I have a sensor light in my backyard, I have neighbors watch the house when out of town, I talk to (and hang out with) my neighbors, I trim my hedge, I pull my weeds, I pick up trash in the street, and report to the village when I don’t like something. I have always received a call back! I would do the exact same things if I lived in Wilmette. If you don’t have a block watch, start one!

Is Skokie perfect? No, but what place is? Get involved, do something to make Skokie better!

How many of the geniuses commenting here have professional real estate brokerage and development experience?

But on the upside, he had a nice suit and hair cut.

But with only about 45 days left in his 'reign' I say let's videotape the Mayor and the rest of the trustees smiling and thanking him right now, and send him his plaque of congratulations via UPS.

Anyone who calls "his constituents" (I say loosely) "crazies and haters"...., As in "that meeting brought out a bunch of crazies and haters" has clearly become daft and far too comfortable in his position. A little more respect for the hard working suckers who bought property in this God forsaken village, please.

Again, the village has done outstanding development work all over town. Look at our shiny new train station and ice cream shop. It only cost Skokie taxpayers about $7.3 million of their hard earned dollars. Don't know what they spent to attract "Bug house", Libertad, Aw Yeah comics, Guerilla theater,sweetie Pies, Yolo and Kabul house. But I can tell you I really like Mexican food. And will not spend $60 on a Mexican dinner for two.

You need to attract young and early middle aged people to "downtown" Skokie to make it vibrant and re-vitalize it. While I am rather an oldster, I have checked out Libertad and it is bustling and appears to have a great menu, with plenty of younger patrons, The kind of residents we desperately need in Skokie. Gorilla Tango theater will eventually go bust. Every similar type establishment located there has. I give em' two more years. Too much overhead, not enough revenue.

However a bar/nightclub in Gorilla Tango's facility would connect well with evening dinner crowds at Libertad. Park your car and spend 4-6 hours on summer evenings. Eat in Libertad's al fresco area out back, cross the street and have a few cocktails and listen to live music or bands. Large enough space to accommodate a healthy size crowd. Good proximity to the police station. Hell, good proximity to BOTH our police stations. Yup, we still got two.

Maybe celebrants who over indulge can take a short cab ride home and come get their cars the next morning. Or walk home.The many Skokie resident cabbies could always use another fare.

Call the bar "The Theater". Maybe wander a block or so over and enjoy some of Village Inn's pizza later. Linger time people. We have enough parking in the area.The bank lot is not used at night.

Desiree needs an excavator with a demolition bucket. Skokie would be wise to try and woo Walker Brothers Original Pancake house...note Glenview, Wilmette, Highland Park...they like downtown locations. That venue is close to three churches, village hall, and lots of condos.

Their clientele is in the area. Everyday.Particularly on Sundays. Maybe some Oakton Swift commuters grab an early breakfast. I suppose they might like the current structure's high steet visibility crammed up against the sidewalk, but they could always knock it down, set the building back and start with a clean slate.

Katie, Thanks for posting the voting registration info. Please do it frequently and attach it to many stories. People just don't know where to get this information My deepest thanks !!

How about a live music venue, other towns are getting them. Or how about a micro brewry in the chase bank building. Is there a Skokie Economic Committee? Yopu would never know!

Yes, Trader Joe's would really be ideal there! I know of many people who shop at the one in Glenview who live here in Skokie as it would be a lot more convenient and less of a drive (provided the own and drive a car) or able to get to it via public transportation to do their shopping needs!