quote:

Originally posted by t.a. superette:
we blew off the movie. well, actually, i asked that we blow off the movie. can't stand that harry potter dreck.

question, have you tried that vietnamese soup place on geneva near home depot? it's called pho *something*.

Haven't been there, but my Vietnamese friend loves it.

A few years ago, Downers Grove merchants were screaming the way Glen Ellyn is now. The ice cream place was located on the south side of the tracks, and foot traffic was not the same as it is now. They had a great bakery across from the bank. It failed and became a toy store.

Downers Grove then got aggressive and built parking structures in the municipal lots. They also acquired property to allow access to the lot. The restaurant/brewpub that failed on Main Street has been replaced and looks successful. There is Ballydoyle, which does a nice business. The Tivoli and Aurelio's have always been there, but it seems the Village assisted in sensible planning of foot traffic both north and south of the tracks. And if you have ever driven through DG, the tracks can be a real challenge.

However, the merchants in Glen Ellyn have to provide a product that someone wants to buy.

quote:

Originally posted by t.a. superette:
son #2 visiting son #1 at augie. . . four's a crowd, if you know what i mean.

1985. Sorry, he's screwed. BTW what do have against upper case letters?

quote:

Originally posted by Fish:

quote:

Originally posted by t.a. superette:
son #2 visiting son #1 at augie. . . four's a crowd, if you know what i mean.

1985. Sorry, he's screwed. BTW what do ????? have against upper case letters?

Cats?

Gats?

Hats?

Whiffle Ball Bats?

Is this mad libs?

quote:

Originally posted by JRPotts:

quote:

Originally posted by Fish:

quote:

Originally posted by t.a. superette:
son #2 visiting son #1 at augie. . . four's a crowd, if you know what i mean.

1985. Sorry, he's screwed. BTW what do you have against upper case letters?

Cats?

Gats?

Hats?

Whiffle Ball Bats?

Is this mad libs?

What's a Gat?

quote:

Originally posted by ronkas:

quote:

Originally posted by t.a. superette:
we blew off the movie. well, actually, i asked that we blow off the movie. can't stand that harry potter dreck.

question, have you tried that vietnamese soup place on geneva near home depot? it's called pho *something*.

Haven't been there, but my Vietnamese friend loves it.

A few years ago, Downers Grove merchants were screaming the way Glen Ellyn is now. The ice cream place was located on the south side of the tracks, and foot traffic was not the same as it is now. They had a great bakery across from the bank. It failed and became a toy store.

Downers Grove then got aggressive and built parking structures in the municipal lots. They also acquired property to allow access to the lot. The restaurant/brewpub that failed on Main Street has been replaced and looks successful. There is Ballydoyle, which does a nice business. The Tivoli and Aurelio's have always been there, but it seems the Village assisted in sensible planning of foot traffic both north and south of the tracks. And if you have ever driven through DG, the tracks can be a real challenge.

However, the merchants in Glen Ellyn have to provide a product that someone wants to buy.

Sounds a little like LaGrange. However, their downtown is a very busy street.

quote:

Originally posted by Fish:

quote:

Originally posted by JRPotts:

quote:

Originally posted by Fish:

quote:

Originally posted by t.a. superette:
son #2 visiting son #1 at augie. . . four's a crowd, if you know what i mean.

1985. Sorry, he's screwed. BTW what do you have against upper case letters?

Cats?

Gats?

Hats?

Whiffle Ball Bats?

Is this mad libs?

What's a Gat?

See new thread for definition of gat. I don't want to threadjack this important thread any further.

BTW - Solid editing of your own posts in your quote.

I am way less than impressed by DG...strictly my opionion, of course.

the vietnamese place is called Pho Le:

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=54562

we ordered two different soups. very fresh, very good. service sucks, and i can't imagine it ever improving. we'll never eat "in" again. but we'll sure order take out.

btw, the asian market around the corner in the same strip mall has quite a few bargains if you like to cook authentic thai/vietnamese at home.

quote:

Originally posted by Fish:

1985. Sorry, he's screwed. BTW what do have against upper case letters?

lol. i'll tell him. btw, with augie's tuition where it is, i can't afford upper case letters.

quote:

Originally posted by Clamato:
I am way less than impressed by DG...strictly my opionion, of course.

of course. . .

If you love horrible service and really good pho and other VN dishes, Luong Loi is the place for you. Do NOT order any of their Chinese food...just awful. And if eating there...budget about 4 hours for the simplest order.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Clamato,

quote:

Originally posted by t.a. superette:

quote:

Originally posted by Fish:

1985. Sorry, he's screwed. BTW what do have against upper case letters?

lol. i'll tell him. btw, with augie's tuition where it is, i can't afford upper case letters.

Invest in precious metals...copper in particular.

Hafsa Naz Mahmood is still a great writer that always gets it right.

Oh, wait. Maybe I'm wrong.

"In total, about 40 of the 100 retailers responded, and about 2,400 of the 8,200 village residents responded. The last survey the economic development corporation conducted was in 1996, but it questioned only retailers."

BTW, can anyone see any of these stores opening in our downtown? Eddie Bauer, The Gap, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Old Navy, William Sonoma, Crate & Barrel, Bed Bath & Beyond or Barnes and Noble.

quote:

Originally posted by Clamato:
and about 2,400 of the 8,200 village residents responded.

Hmmm. The fact that we only have 8,200 residents clearly explains the problems with getting a Gap and the lack of foot traffic in the central business district; however, it fails to account for the huge parking "problem."

Residents/households, whatever. I hear William Sonoma is much more exclusive than its plural predecessor.

I did copy and paste that list....unusually for her to err like that.

quote:

Originally posted by Clamato:
I did copy and paste that list....unusually for her to err like that.

Her? Yes. You? Well, not so "unusually".

quote:

Originally posted by Clamato:
BTW, can anyone see any of these stores opening in our downtown? Eddie Bauer, The Gap, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Old Navy, William Sonoma, Crate & Barrel, Bed Bath & Beyond or Barnes and Noble.

Sure -- why not?!? I don't think these retailers will move into the "downtown" as we know it. But I think if the Village and a Retailer(s) work creatively, there are perfect locations for these stores.

The paradigm of "downtown Glen Ellyn" will need to shift, but its doable. First, the existing downtown (Main St. and the east side of Crescent) will not turnover. We all know that. The buildings are ramshackle at best. They haven't been maintained, they are fugly and it's not realistic. UNLESS, a retailer comes in with the weight to get buildings razed and rebuilt. Much like Borders in La Grange (to wit, a "landlocked" town bisected by railroad tracks that had no parking), but for the sake of argument probably not realistic.

But why not the opportunities on Pennsylvania and Crescent west of Main? Raze that dumpy building that the carpet store is in, harvest a retailer (or two) to build a space there (in conjunction with the village). Then raze the red house next to it that no one will ever move into, and put parking in that space. This will lead to further growth along that corridor. The Antique Store (that I assume will not be turned into an organic store/deli due to Honey) is another opportunity. The point being, the concept of "Downtown" will have to move - maybe just a couple of blocks, but it needs to move.

This will allow for the existing downtown to be possibly turned into a restaurant destination, but that's another thread.

Harvesting these types of retailers to keep people downtown (beyond visiting Starbucks, Cold Stone or Eisteins) is the only way downtown GE will have a chance. There seems to be great dichotomy in Glen Ellyn retail behaviors: The schism betweem "The community that the retailers/village WANT to shop downtown" (these being the nouveau riche, the newbies who just moved here from Bucktown and the "Big Houses") versus "The community that actually WANTS to shop downtown" (the Townies and the Oldsters). It's the difference between the folks that <i>might</i> pull over at Starbucks or Einsteins on the way to Oak Brook as opposed to the people that bitch about $8 hamburgers and yearn for the days that GE had a "haberdashery" and non-chain drug stores.

P.S. - How does Geneva do it? They've created a "Downtown Experience" by fostering The Little Traveler, other innovations like the new restaurant/shopping complex, and programs like this:

Building Façade/Site Improvement Matching Grant Program: Past Ten Years: $200,000 Public Grant Funds has served to stimulate $3M in Private Investment in Commercial Properties in Downtown Geneva Maintaining/Enhancing Physical Character of Downtown.

WOW!?!?! What a concept!

quote:

Originally posted by Fish:

quote:

Originally posted by Clamato:
I did copy and paste that list....unusually for her to err like that.

Her? Yes. You? Well, not so "unusually".

Thank you, Fish. I didn't see that.

Geneva has three, count 'em three highways dissecting the downtown: 31, 25 and 38. it also has the UP and a vacation-like setting w/ the river and the traffic that brings. that sort of environment makes brands drool. GE has a train and a CBD a mile from either highway. it has a 27K fickle populace and a history of governmental dealings w/national brands.

IMO, GE is a brand that has lost its identity (or had its identity mismanaged). until that is rectified, no major brand with hitch its wagon to it.