Interesting stuff. A good portion of the comments rightly lay the blame for the majority of GE's retail problems at the swollen feet of those on Duane Street. Granted, the comments could have been culled by the EDC or someone the EDC paid...but I think a lot of the criticism is accurate and well aimed.
This is going to be a long haul. And the village cannot compel stores to open by force. A lot will need to change. A lot will need to be spent. Should be an interesting couple of years coming up.
Glad to see it wasn't just me and a handful of others with these concerns. I thought I was the only ***hole in town. Glad to see I have company.
consumer/resident feedback from the quant. report: "Specific Stores and Retail Niches Requested with Many Mentions: National Chains (Eddie Bauer, The Gap, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Old Navy, Coldwater Creek, Victoria’s Secret, William Sonoma, Crate & Barrel, Bed Bath & Beyond, Barnes and Noble, Chipotle, Blockbuster, Potbelly’s, Corner Bakery, etc.)"
and i want a pony. . .
actually what i really want is more research. one quantative survey/study of GE residents only is not enough (as the data above suggests. of course the residents want national chains. you don't need a survey for that). i'd also like to see other data woven into this research: qualitative interviews w/the business owners and national chains. i'd also recommend including interviews w/ property owners and government officials. perhaps a survey of non-GE residents. a roundtable discussion w/marketing experts from national brands and EDC officials from successful municpalities would be very helpful. let them tour our town for a day, then engage them in an all-day discussion on their own success stories and recommendations.
i'm sure cost is driving why there isn't much research being done.
Isn't the interior of our stores and buildings not up par for the current trendy stores? I thought those store were interior specific? How does Geneva do it? They have a bunch of private stores that have been there, like, forever. I know someone asked for Sephora. That just went in JC Penny now in Lombard!
If I were a shareholder in any of the above-mentioned chain stores and somebody in that company had the brilliant idea to open a store in a land locked area that has zero room to grow in any direction...let alone a populace that has made it clear in the recent past that they won't shop in their downtown on a regular basis...I'd move to have that person fired.
National chains aren't coming, kids. Think of something else. And again, even if we do get a parking deck...nobody would want to walk from the deck to the stores.
We are (were) a tourist destination. Until we have something to sell/show off again...namely in the form of radically restored buildings and/or new construction...we will never be like Geneva. And FWIW, Hinsdale seems to have a poopload of empty storefronts as of last Saturday.
just some impressions...before Randy closed Dean Olson he told us that he had asked the landlady/man to split the space. with half the space(and rent) he might have made a go of it. he was refused and finally gave up the ghost. so what does the landlady/man do when the space is re-let? split the space! a few years ago the owner of daffy down dilly told this story...her next 5 year lease was due to be signed, and the increase was astronomical. they said it was due to a "huge" increase in property assessment, which now had to be passed on to the tenant. I think that head in the sand thinking and unrealistic rents are factors that are messing with this downtown...plus market forces. so, building owners: first of all, fight your assessments with the county. then, realize the realities faced by retailers today...ie, internet shopping, changing markets (casual dress has been devastaing for men's wear businesses) (this message brought to you by someone who is NOT a retailer, OR landlord (i wish!)
That's a great point about casual dress being devastating to men's wear business. It's very telling about the type of store that GE seems to be fixated upon, or, perhaps more likely - the type of store that seems fixated on coming to GE. Stores that seem to operate for a bygone era - complete with bygone business practices.
But I don't see that any of those current retail chains will be eager to come here. Look what happened when Country Curtains tried - their national operations nosed around and realized they'd made a huge mistake, and moved them to Naperville, where they still thrive.
I don't know how Geneva does it, honestly, but that's the kind of model we need to emulate. They don't have chains, but they certainly have a varied and thriving shopping district that's a destination all on its own. I know it's bigger, and more picturesque with the river and all, but it seems to me there's something there worth looking into as a model for GE. Somehow their combination of boutiques & specialty stores manage to be trendy, not old fashioned, as I view most of the stores that we seem to attract.
Re-reading the written comments summary - Many of those comments made me wonder at the median age of the citizens who responded. Was that info somewhere in the reading material, and I just missed it? I think it's probably fair to assume that older citizens respond to these kinds of surveys than younger ones. And while it's always valuable to have everyone's opinions, if we're looking to the future, I think the EDC needs to pay a lot of attention to what younger citizens are saying, rather than those who may simply long for what they remember as "the good old days."
i believe the demographic data was supplied in the first report. i'm too lazy to look back at it again, but i think it's there if you want to check. and, you're right, scribbs. a quant survey like this typically garners responses from the older crowd. another reason why more research is needed.
fyi, just strolled through downers grove tonight. i do not believe i saw one vacant store front. also, for all you Sherman's ice cream fans (i know a lot of folks on this BB vacation in MI) DG has an ice cream shop called Every Day's A Sundae (EDAS) that serves Sherman's ice cream
A great evening is a pizza at Aurelios, movie next door at the Tivoli, ice cream at EDILS and a stroll around downtown DG. especially nice when it's a 70 degree evening on 10/20!
The Big Kernel sold Sherman's ice cream...and really bad popcorn. But they still sold Sherman's ice cream. Right in downtown GE. Didn't have to go to no fancy Downers Grove to get Sherman's ice cream. How this town is enamored with Cold Stone over Sherman's is beyond me. I don't give a poop about ice cream...but it was twice as good and half the price.
BTW, thanks for the call. I doubt that Parker and I would have wanted to go to Aurelio's and the Tivoli.
Are you talking about the Vietnamese place near the Tavern off of St. Charles....because there is a place there too. We order from there sometimes and find it to be pretty good. If you go there, you will likely be the only straight-up white person there (assuming you are a white person - which I really don't know).
We checked out the Vietnam Bistro on Schmale almost to North Avenue -near the new Starbucks. It was pretty decent. The ambiance was fine but the large numbers on the tables took away from that. Also, I think they might want to consider a few menu changes: several dishes are listed as having "tendon" in them. I'm relatively adventerous....but that is a real turn-off. And since I'm not actually in Vietnam, I'm not willing to branch out.
"The most valuable things in life are not measured in monetary terms. The really important things are not houses and lands, stocks and bonds, automobiles and real state, but friendships, trust, confidence, empathy, mercy, love and faith. " -Bertrand Russell V. Delong
Posts: 3238 | Location: Glen Ellyn, IL | Registered: April 04, 2003
