Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Have something to say about the pulse of local businesses?
Skokie is one unique cookie when it comes to local businesses. There’s Westfield Old Orchard Mall and Village Crossing Shopping Center on opposite sides of town. Then there’s also West Dempster Street, which is in the midst of a turnaround. Downtown Skokie is also full of hidden gems. With $8.9 million redevelopment of downtown Skokie, there’s plenty to talk about. Posts can be about what businesses you want to come to certain storefronts, or about an experience you had at your favorite shop. Or, if you're a local business owner, we'd love to hear from you, too. There are no requirements on how many items you need to post or restrictions on what you can write about. Patch is looking for someone thoughtful and prolific on these topics This …
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
About six weeks have gone by since the grand opening of the new CTA Oakton Stop near downtown Skokie. See how many people are boarding the station daily and hear what local business owners are saying.
The CTA, the Village of Skokie and local businesses are all rating the Oakton Yellow Line station an unqualified success in its first month-plus of operation. Since opening April 30, the two-entrance station has averaged 689 daily riders, said CTA spokesperson Catherine Hosinski. No figures were available for passengers debarking. However, anecdotal evidence suggests riders are patronizing downtown Skokie businesses, a key goal of village planners. Skokie spokesman Ann Tennes specifically cited the reopened Skokie Theater - now Gorilla Tango Theatre - and the new Aw Yeah Comics, 4933 Oakton St., as destinations for Yellow Line patrons. And Crafty Beaver, adjoining the station to the west, is taking advantage CTA traffic with Tuesday …
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-87.755399
Village of Skokie
5127 Oakton St, Skokie, IL
/articles/cta-skokie-businesses-pleased-with-opening-ridership-numbers-at-oakton-station
244277
/locations/7211079
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Pat's Place in downtown Skokie has been family owned since 1960. The restaurant is set to close shop come May 26. Owner Pat Bellos said, "I won't be retiring anytime soon."
Downtown Skokie will be losing an iconic diner come May 26, and many of its customer seem to be sad that it's leaving. Pat's Place, 5025 Oakton St., will be closing shop come next month. The restaurant first opened its doors in April of 1960. It has been run by family members ever since. The owner, Pat Bellos, said she and her landlord couldn't come to agreement on a variety of issues. "I won't be retiring anytime soon, I'm too young," Bellos said. "But we're going to party all day come May 26. It's going to be fun." Bellos said that she plans on relocating to another storefront come this Fall, but will "take some time off and figure things out" before opening a new location. Bellos added that she doesn't know where she'll reopen, but that…
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Scott Beatty is bursting out of his business' traditionally cramped quarters in Village Crossing to the new location by Dempster Street and Austin Avenue. AU Sports got its first start in Skokie near Dempster and Gross Point for nearly two decades.
After more than two decades as a Skokie retail institution, and more recently severyal years in Niles, the AU Sports memorabilia store is moving to the next town over come May 1. The iconic store will move into Magazine Museum’s former longtime quarters at 6006 Dempster St. in Morton Grove. After looking in downtown Skokie, among other locations, for expanded space compared to his present 2,350 square feet in the Village Crossing shopping center, AU Sports majority owner Scott Beatty settled on the Morton Grove site a few weeks ago. The space itself is next to the empty storefront vacated during the winter by Magical Mystery Tour, a 35-year Morton Grove business stalwart. Beatty signed what he termed a “short” lease – three years –to set…
42.009403
-87.767508
Michaels
7055 Central Ave, <span class='street2'>Village Crossings Shopping Center</span>, Skokie, IL
/articles/after-32-years-as-a-skokie-institution-au-sports-store-moves-to-morton-grove
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The Chicago Tribune's hyperlocal publication, TribLocal, will be phased out over the next three months, the Chicago Tribune reports. The majority of their editors are expected to lose their jobs.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Trib Local Skokie reports that while the economy is struggling, the Skokie Park District's golf course is doing just fine.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Many changes that took place last year are slated to take effect as early as next year. Some of those changes include the construction of a Super Walgreens, a proposed Super Walmart and an XSport Fitness. There's also a new train station.
Skokie just might become a super shopping destination for the entire North Shore, as well as neighboring parts of Chicago. Developer Clark Street proposed building a Super Walmart near the intersection of Touhy Avenue and McCormick Boulevard. The big-box retailer would be surrounded by two banks, a medical facility and small retail outlets like cell phone stores and sandwich shops. The project already has been dubbed "Touhy Marketplace." The development will bring about $1 million in sales tax revenue annually, according to village officials. More recently, an XSport Fitness health club was proposed to replace the vacant Chicago Cycle also near Touhy and McCormick. The 24-hour gym would be next door to Touhy Marketplace, Lincolnwood Mall …
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Aw Yeah Comics is downtown Skokie's latest addition. One of the owners is also employed with DC Comics, and gets to draw iconic characters like Superman, Batman and Aquaman for children-themed comic books.
Aw Yeah Comics is looking to be an 'Aw Yeah' addition to downtown Skokie. The shop at 4933 Oakton St. is sort-of open for business. While their official grand opening is May 5, doors are still open to customers in the meantime. Art Baltazar, one of three owners at Aw Yeah Comics, is also a cartoonist for DC Comics. The artist gets to draw iconic characters like Superman, Batman and Aquaman. His style, however, is more cartoonish and animated; all the characters look cute and huggable. That's why it's no surprise that his biggest fans are children and parents. Yet Baltazar wasn't drawing for DC Comics on Monday, he was painting his walls. While Aw Yea Comics is open for business, Baltazar and company still need to display their inventory…
Monday, March 26, 2012
Skokie may see a Super Walmart at Touhy and St. Louis avenues as early as next year. But what does the community think about the move? We rounded up what they had to say and now we want to hear more.
If you haven't heard, Skokie may be getting a Super Walmart as early as next year. Developers and village officials are working toward turning a large, empty piece of land into a 195,000-square-foot shopping center. If everything comes together, Walmart would be the obvious anchor, but other businesses - such as two banks, a medical building and quick serve restaurants - would surround the retail giant. See our previous covearge We asked our readers: "Are you for the Super Walmart?" Almost 100 votes were cast and 65 said 'Yes,' while 29 voted 'No.' Readers also chimed in and raised some interesting points. Several Skokians said residents are already driving to nearby Niles to shop at Walmart, why not keep those sales in house? That sort of…
Friday, March 23, 2012
The proposed site - which will include a variety of other businesses besides Walmart - is estimated to generate $1 million in sales tax revenue annually. Yet some issues need to be ironed out first, says one official familiar with the matter.
What do you do when a regular Walmart isn't big enough? Naturally, you build a "Super Walmart," something Skokie may see as early as next year. A Super Walmart has a barber shop, grocery store and an on-site ophthalmologist, among other things. If plans go through, the mega store would be constructed near the intersection of Touhy and St. Louis avenues. Next to the retail giant would be a Chase Bank with an accompanying four lane drive-through, another unnamed bank with a three lane drive through and 17,000-square-feet of strip mall shops likely to be cell phone stores or quick service restaurants. Finally, a medical building will round out the area that will have at least 700 parking spaces. Trustees are set to vote on the project at …
David Zornig
9:46 am on Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Yes Michael, we are. The Village should make the effort to specifically document the number of exiting riders from the new station into downtown. At least for the 1st few months. That data can then be used to help promote the downtown to potential businesses. Without it, only the paid fare numbers exist. If the exiting numbers are much higher, we'll never know it and can't use it to our advantage… more ›