Long time lurker.... disappointed that the board isn't keeping up on the latest closings/openings! That's the most interesting topic here.



-- Treasure Chest (which was a double-wide storefront) is closed
-- The Glen Ellyn Vision Center on Duane and Main (prime location across from Figo) is shuttered
-- WaMu is leaving town in March (that'll be almost half the block empty!)
-- The Rug place on Penn (as has known for a while) is moving
-- Villa Bianca is done (Feb 19)

What next? There can't be much hope for these poor store owners on Crescent and Main. Looks like the consulting firm will have an ALMOST blank slate

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

Duck Duck Goose is closing
Wording on Water Massage Sign is "Inventory Sale"

glellyn, do you mean Treasure House? The resale place? If so, D***! I like that place. We found a complete set of our china there for a great price. We check in there every month or so and rarely walk out empty-handed.

Duck Duck Goose is just too expensive to survive, so that one doesn't really suprise me, unfortunately.

The rental expense is just to high these days for most "ma and pa" businesses to afford. Much of this is due to the huge increase in the real estate taxes paid by the owners of these buildings. They have passed this increased expense on to the tenants by increasing their rents. This will not be an easy fix for the not so highly touted firm that has been hired.

quote:

Originally posted by glellyn:
Long time lurker.... disappointed that the board isn't keeping up on the latest closings/openings! That's the most interesting topic here.



-- Treasure Chest (which was a double-wide storefront) is closed
-- The Glen Ellyn Vision Center on Duane and Main (prime location across from Figo) is shuttered
-- WaMu is leaving town in March (that'll be almost half the block empty!)
-- The Rug place on Penn (as has known for a while) is moving
-- Villa Bianca is done (Feb 19)

What next? There can't be much hope for these poor store owners on Crescent and Main. Looks like the consulting firm will have an ALMOST blank slate

Glen Ellyn Vision Center is not out of business. Not with the amount of money I spend there.

well, they must be remodeling because a crew was taking out all the fixtures and its empty.

quote:

Originally posted by ronkas:

quote:

Originally posted by glellyn:
Long time lurker.... disappointed that the board isn't keeping up on the latest closings/openings! That's the most interesting topic here.



-- Treasure Chest (which was a double-wide storefront) is closed
-- The Glen Ellyn Vision Center on Duane and Main (prime location across from Figo) is shuttered
-- WaMu is leaving town in March (that'll be almost half the block empty!)
-- The Rug place on Penn (as has known for a while) is moving
-- Villa Bianca is done (Feb 19)

What next? There can't be much hope for these poor store owners on Crescent and Main. Looks like the consulting firm will have an ALMOST blank slate

Glen Ellyn Vision Center is not out of business. Not with the amount of money I spend there.

Remodeling. Appears that they are really remodeling.

God, they charge a lot.

It is subtle but one of the big reasons downtowns are haveing trouble all over is the internet. Think about all the small unique stores that have been replaced by unique web retailers. What were your last ten purchases on the internet? Think about how you would have gotten those items before the internet existed.alot of those puchases would have been at the small stores in a downtown. I can think of a few reailers that closed and became web only retailers. This shift has been helped by the lack of sales tax. This lowers your overhead about 7% instantly.

Another reason is that a whole generation never had a vibrant downtown to shop at. Anyone under 45 learned to shop at a mall. The park as you please generation. A generation that has many options of how to find the same item. The mall, Walmart/Target, the web or a downtown. Given the option whats the easyest way to get somthing will have a advantage. Where does this leave downtown?, It leaves a place that has to take its advantages and use them to its best.

The advantages to downtown, central location, train station and the always romantic notion that its the heart of the town. Lets face the facts retail is dead. Lifestyle and services have been more succesful for the last 20 years. Think of every storefront that is a resturant, bank or service type bussiness. What was in that spot 10-20 years ago. Most likely retail of some sort. dont fight the economic Darwinism embrace it. The idea that a Gap or something similar is going to save downtown is flying in te face of the history of downtown.

Dont think that downtown will be a bunch of empty stores. Its just changeing and hopefully for the better. If you look at the past to predict the future you should expect more lifestyle and services in the future. Landlords listen to their pocketbooks and will embace the future that fills empty stores with something. Will they lower rents or improve the storfronts, of course. will this be quick or painless, NO. Is there anthing that can be done to speed this up? yes but at what cost and to who's benifit?

quote:

Originally posted by glellyn:
Long time lurker.... disappointed that the board isn't keeping up on the latest closings/openings! That's the most interesting topic here.



-- Treasure Chest (which was a double-wide storefront) is closed
-- The Glen Ellyn Vision Center on Duane and Main (prime location across from Figo) is shuttered
-- WaMu is leaving town in March (that'll be almost half the block empty!)
-- The Rug place on Penn (as has known for a while) is moving
-- Villa Bianca is done (Feb 19)

What next? There can't be much hope for these poor store owners on Crescent and Main. Looks like the consulting firm will have an ALMOST blank slate

All stores - including Duck Duck Goose - in which I have shopped exactly: Never.

And I DO like to shop downtown. I go to McChesney's all the time, when I need to buy affordable frou-frou stuff for my house I try to buy it at Schmid's (although it's been tough, lately, as their inventory has really taken a dive); we buy our appliances at Youngs and hardware at Soukups....

But all the little shops that come and go with alarming frequency sell stuff I may only need to buy once every year or two. If that often.

So there you go, Controversial Town Planning Firm Yet to be Determined. The solution is to either get more varied and necessary stores, or urge people to move into and out of Glen Ellyn A LOT more frequently than they do now.

quote:

Originally posted by scribbler:

quote:

Originally posted by glellyn:
Long time lurker.... disappointed that the board isn't keeping up on the latest closings/openings! That's the most interesting topic here.



-- Treasure Chest (which was a double-wide storefront) is closed
-- The Glen Ellyn Vision Center on Duane and Main (prime location across from Figo) is shuttered
-- WaMu is leaving town in March (that'll be almost half the block empty!)
-- The Rug place on Penn (as has known for a while) is moving
-- Villa Bianca is done (Feb 19)

What next? There can't be much hope for these poor store owners on Crescent and Main. Looks like the consulting firm will have an ALMOST blank slate

All stores - including Duck Duck Goose - in which I have shopped exactly: Never.

And I DO like to shop downtown. I go to McChesney's all the time, when I need to buy affordable frou-frou stuff for my house I try to buy it at Schmid's (although it's been tough, lately, as their inventory has really taken a dive); we buy our appliances at Youngs and hardware at Soukups....

But all the little shops that come and go with alarming frequency sell stuff I may only need to buy once every year or two. If that often.

So there you go, Controversial Town Planning Firm Yet to be Determined. The solution is to either get more varied and necessary stores, or urge people to move into and out of Glen Ellyn A LOT more frequently than they do now.

You'll be happy to learn that a candle/quilt shop is opening soon.

the village should hire FIREMOUTH as their consultant. you've hit the nail on the head. the main reason our downtown is attractive to newcomers is the train access to chicago. so, we need to continue to develope affordable (Ha ha) housing (look at the new kenilworth townhomes which are less than 500 K) and continue to promote personal service businesses which you can't go to on the web, such as hair and beauty, restaurants, etc.
also, these property owners should have been protesting their taxes years ago...it's just not worth that much if you can't get and keep tenents.

I still say that a good solution is to ditch the whole retail concept, as Firemouth said, and concentrate on restaurants/pubs. There's absolutely nothing wrong with being a destination for good eating and drinking - maybe add a little entertainment to the mix, too. And we already have quite a few nice establishments in that vein.

quote:

Originally posted by scribbler:
I still say that a good solution is to ditch the whole retail concept, as Firemouth said, and concentrate on restaurants/pubs. There's absolutely nothing wrong with being a destination for good eating and drinking - maybe add a little entertainment to the mix, too. And we already have quite a few nice establishments in that vein.

This is absolutely a viable idea. When t.a. superette and I spoke a couple of months back, he said the exact same thing. If you're going to be good at something, why not as a dining and entertainment destination?

quote:

Originally posted by scribbler:
I still say that a good solution is to ditch the whole retail concept, as Firemouth said, and concentrate on restaurants/pubs. There's absolutely nothing wrong with being a destination for good eating and drinking - maybe add a little entertainment to the mix, too. And we already have quite a few nice establishments in that vein.

MMMMmmmm, restaurants and pubs,aaaagggghhh

This is also a solution to the parking problem, since most of your traffic will be at night, after the commuters have vacated the train parking lots.

Banks and salons by day, restaurants and pubs by night; perfect solution!

You're hired, Scribbler. I'll have the contract in your hands by mid-week.

Can you work on the garbage situation as part of the deal?

No, but I have a teenaged son who's always looking for some extra money, so I think I can hire it out.

Does anyone know what is going on with the Bakery? I heard second hand that they are opening a store in Lombard and are going to run both stores (GE and Lombard) to see how it goes. I'm nervous...

If it is the bakery on Main in Lombard, they used to be owned by the same guy. Te Lombard one closed...perhaps the lady that owns the FB is reopening it.

People, look at Yorktown mall. That place was a ghost town, stored closed, nothing really interesting there, a gap that never got full attention from corporate since the mall was dying. The owner decides to bring in a bunch of restaurants to start a base and build from there. Rock Bottom, Bucca, Capitale, Ra, etc.... they must have 10-15 restaurants there, then they add a nice little "downtown" type shopping thang, and presto, the place was damn near as busy at christmas as Oak Brook mall was. Rumor has it the Gap is going to move into a much larger store in side now that the mall has made a commitment to bounce back. People need to eat, bring in nice restaurants and people will come for that and maybe spend a sheckle or two on store as well. I think it would be a nice model to follow.