One thing that jumped out at me as I walked out of Honey while GE Fan was toiling away in front of the Banyan Tree Mall is that that building, perhaps more than any other (even more than the one the COC honchos are operating out of) is in dire, dire, dire need of repair/replacement. Since all of the businesses except the upscale salon where my children have their hair cut appear to be going out of business (ok...balloons and coins sell, also), I think it is time for the owner to come forward and make some drastic improvements and repairs. I have never seen a building that was actually physically falling apart while housing businesses attempting to carry on commerce. A big wag of the finger (see accompanying photo for actually wag) to a landlord that can turn a blind eye to rotting, lichen-infested decking material nailed on to the facade of a building on Main Street. That building looks more out of place than an upscale jewelry store swathed in marble bathroom floor tile that should have been installed in the Marriott's men's room.
So, as a favor to me...please hire an architect, come up with a plan, float it past the planning commission...and loosen up the purse strings, for God's sake.
Clam, that building does look like crap, but I did have a nice dinner in the CBD on Saturday at Vitorio's. Come to find out, I know the owner and his son, who was a barber in Lombard for years.....
Food was good, service was great......Will definitely go back...
Originally posted by IMJ: Clam, that building does look like crap, but I did have a nice dinner in the CBD on Saturday at Vitorio's. Come to find out, I know the owner and his son, who was a barber in Lombard for years.....
Food was good, service was great......Will definitely go back...
Speaking of ... I heard they pay 5 figures for rent in that place! That's a lot of spaghetti!
I would find that hard to believe. They were paying substantially less then that when they opened. Can't imagine their rent has doubled in the 6-7 years they have been open. I may be wrong. If that's the case, I'd better start joining Gus there for see-throughs more often. Tony needs our help!
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Clamato: One thing that jumped out at me as I walked out of Honey while GE Fan was toiling away in front of the Banyan Tree Mall is that that building, perhaps more than any other (even more than the one the COC honchos are operating out of) is in dire, dire, dire need of repair/replacement. Since all of the businesses except the upscale salon where my children have their hair cut appear to be going out of business (ok...balloons and coins sell, also), I think it is time for the owner to come forward and make some drastic improvements and repairs. I have never seen a building that was actually physically falling apart while housing businesses attempting to carry on commerce. A big wag of the finger (see accompanying photo for actually wag) to a landlord that can turn a blind eye to rotting, lichen-infested decking material nailed on to the facade of a building on Main Street. That building looks more out of place than an upscale jewelry store swathed in marble bathroom floor tile that should have been installed in the Marriott's men's room. QUOTE]
How true. The wag would be so much bigger and more effective, imho, if it were accompanied by a plan developed by the village's planning and development department, the EDC, the COC with perhaps the help of Go Downtown!, the CBD Alliance, the Architectural Review or Historical Preservation Commissions or any combination of one or more of the above.
Is there a short list of commerce wanted in that space? It seems that the above organizations should be keeping a list of businesses desired in our downtown when large and/or prime space becomes available. (Banyan, Pennsylvania Place and Villa Bianca vacant spaces come to mind as large and somewhat user-friendly.)
Is it a Food Court in Banyan with plenty of seating for the stroller and older sets? Such could be of the airport/Yum brand variety or perhaps a collection of admirable businesses that could not make it on their own with one "anchor". (Heavenlee Dog, Popcorn Shop, Ice Cream, Byrnzy's Pizza anchored by Burrito Beach, for example.)
Or, is it a collection of Chicagoland apparel designers (there are many!) that could offer unique garments at reasonable prices, especially to men and the teen/tween set that cannot be served in the CBD at present?
If the landlord were approached with "hey, we've got this concept and some interest, now get your act together so it is a win-win for all" s/he might be more inclined to invest/adapt or be subject to negative publicity at Plan/Board public meetings.
Is something like the above happening and just not known to the general public? Hope so...
It probably has to be the latter. A wise man once said that he would not, nor would he imagine anyone, investing in the CBD in its current state. Unfortunately, he's likely right. Again. Oh wait, that was you...!
This is why I do not blame the EDC for the current state of GE's CBD. IMO, they do not do a great job, but how can they? There isn't anything to sell but musty space that no one wants. I have a feeling that if the town were spruced up, interest from both the shopping public and retailers interested in opening businesses would rise. I also feel that, by and large, the EDC no longer needs to be in existence...currently serving zero purpose (again...probably through no fault of their own), and if we put the band back together at some point, I feel there needs to be a drastic change in what they do.
Could my friend on the Planning Commission comment about this hypothetical use of eminent domain powers?
Suppose you built your parking structure behind Banyan Tree and the Theater. Your driveway into that structure could be the bulldozed Banyan Tree Mall. Perhaps you can add the shuttered Antique Mall to your taking? This would create your parking structure, facing it on Pennsylvania. You could make the extracted Banyan Tree a replica of the surrounding architecture as an entry.
This is, on a smaller scale, what Downers Grove did on their Main Street, facing it on Curtiss Street.
Why do you need a parking garage? First you need business that generate customers to park...
Clearly if you are going to sign a lease as a business operator you want to absolutely make sure that parking is available. Until that issue is addressed I don't think GE's downtown is likely to rebound. Especially when people won't walk a block to anyplace....
Originally posted by GE Fan: I'm sure whoever you are referring to would love for you to clarify your hypothetical.
"Make the extracted Banyan Tree a replica of the surrounding architecture as an entry"
What do you mean?
If you extract that Banyan Mall, making it an entry way to a garage behind the Main street stores, you would necessarily have to blend the entry way into some of the surrounding architecture.
The only purpose a parking garage would serve (under the current circumstances and the village's lousy attitude toward small business) would be to house more homeless. The place would look like lower Wacker.
All of these poor MFers trying to make a living by peddling their wares in GE's CBD, doing what they can to survive, including the no-longer-spoken-about "core hours." Nobody but nobody in the village offices, the COC, the EDC, the DBA could possibly have foreseen the irony of keeping stores open until 8PM on Thursday nights (or could they?) . . . the very night that all savvy Glen Ellynites avoid traveling to downtown Glen Ellyn because of our friends that infiltrate that very area.
Couldn't have written a diviner comedy if one tried.
Originally posted by Clamato: All of these poor MFers trying to make a living by peddling their wares in GE's CBD, doing what they can to survive, including the no-longer-spoken-about "core hours." Nobody but nobody in the village offices, the COC, the EDC, the DBA could possibly have foreseen the irony of keeping stores open until 8PM on Thursday nights (or could they?) . . . the very night that all savvy Glen Ellynites avoid traveling to downtown Glen Ellyn because of our friends that infiltrate that very area.
Couldn't have written a diviner comedy if one tried.
Funny isn't it?! The village has no control of. . . . well the Village. Maybe if everyone starts using grocery bags, cigarette butts and stuff discarded in the trash cans as currency, the place might recover. BTW Clam, "Ya gat flifty scents?"
Don't know if this has ever been discussed before, but why is the downtown area of Main one way? The people leaving Roosevelt and coming up main to go to St. Charles/Geneva road do not see the shops on main in that one block because they have to drive around it. I remember the first 2 times we drove through the downtown before we moved in, we did not even bother going back southbound on main to see what was there, we just turned right onto Main again and went to St. Charles/Geneva road. I would think that many people a day drive though the downtown and never see the great shops in the one block area. Just wonderin....
