Family Pets is closing
and
I saw that Mama's Attic on main street is gone.

What does it say about those businesses that nobody in my household has heard of those stores?

I guess you can't miss what you never knew existed.

That pet store is that stink-@ss puppy mill in the world's most dangerous strip mall...and Mama's Attic was mentioned before as some dopey trinket store called By Design...in your favorite bank building.

Is this the one by Jewel?

Si.

Will be fun to see who leases that space.

By design was near the Little Shops entrance at the corner of Main and Crescent. The Pet place was down from Blockbuster on Roosevelt. Smelly store - cute pets but not very professional...don't know if they were actually puppy mill but, it wouldn't be suprising.

Funny, I was in the Smelly Pet Store about a month ago looking for guinea pig food, and they didn't have any. I asked them if they were closing, since the shelves appeared to be bare. They assured me they weren't.

I really don't care, except now we really don't have any pet stores in Glen Ellyn, which is a bit inconvenient.

Oh - and I bought a purse in By Design - or Mama's Attic - or whatever it was most recently called - last winter. It was a nice purse. It was a nice store. But it didn't have anything in it that would make me go back a 2nd time. It seemed like quite an expensive location for what was really just a nice collection of scarves and purses - items which I just don't buy on a regular basis. Which, I believe, is the main problem with most of the stores in the business district. They don't sell anything I need to buy more than once a year.

The old spot where By Design was is going to be a candle shop opening in January.

That rekindles my hopes for a turnaround.

Wow! So if you even mention the EDC around this site you get your post pulled? Even if you don't say anything negative?

Wow!

The Executive Director of the EDC is a private citizen who works for an independent not-for-profit organization. It is never appropriate to liable or otherwise trash such individuals in a public fotum such as this. (Elected officials are another story, but that wasn't the case here.)

On the other hand, discussing EDC policies and procedures -- as they relate to its charter -- generally are not a problem.

For similar reasons I take down negative posts about individual schoolteachers (but not the elected school board), individual policemen and women (but not general posts about the police department), individual library workers (but not the libraryboard and its policies) etc.

Likewise, negative restaurant reviews are generally acceptable... but beating up on individual waiters and waitresses is a no-no. And so on.

I believe this town's problems to be beyond the control of any one individual...including anyone involved or working for the EDC. The problems that GE has, IMO, rest solely at the feet of this and past village administrations and, unfortunately, the preservationist leanings of a lot of people with influence. Missteps in the past and recent past, along with what is perceived as an anti-business agenda set forth by the village have doomed our little out-of-the-way CBD. I am hard-pressed to believe that even our own citizens will shop downtown even if businesses do open. That said, bring on the restaurants. Those seem to do well in GE.

If you don't move forward...you'll obviously stay where you are. If Glen Ellyn wants to be known as the village with an out-of-date, crumbling, half empty CBD...then that's where we will stay.

quote:

The Executive Director of the EDC is a private citizen who works for an independent not-for-profit organization.

Ted-Do you know what metrics this position is held accountable to? In other words, how would a person in this position know they were successful for 2007? Are there target businesses that the EDC is going after? When they don't close a deal, do they go back and find out why GE was not chosen?

In a sense this is a sales position (selling GE)and in sales it's not enough to just make calls, you have to advance a sale or to quote Alec Baldwin in Glen Gary, Glen Ross-"A,B,C-Always be closing". To clarify, this means new deals, not existing business. Some people are cut out for sales, some are not. I think it is fair that the taxpayers of this town challenge the results they are seeing from the Chamber of Commerce and the EDC, but personal attacks accomplish little.

I don't think the GEBD is in the shape it's in because of one person, but all involved should be asking themselves are they part of the solution or are they part of the problem?

quote:

Originally posted by Bry:

quote:

Originally posted by Ted E.:
Likewise, negative restaurant reviews are generally acceptable... but beating up on individual waiters and waitresses is a no-no. And so on.

So we can pound a restaurant mercilously until it closes it's doors because it does not hurt a single individual? Does this go for businesses as well? I mean, I can log onto this place and rip a place a new one and it is all good?

At the risk of inflicting the wrath of Kevin Spengel for dull conversation, yes. If the comment is repetitive, it loses steam. For example, how many times do we need to comment on the perceived incompetence of certain employees? At what point does it get unfair, or worse yet, common knowledge? It really is a person's reputation we skewer in that instance. Too much of that and we can just put out the bowls of milk and screech.

Now, if you hold yourself out as a business, and don't want to attract and retain customers who would gladly give you money, you are out of business. With or without comment by this BB.

By the way, love the Ted Lilly piece. Sox fans know he is this year's Phil Garner. Love those temper tantrums under pressure.

I didn't really intend this thread to turn into a bitch session. I was just disappointed that my comedy masterpiece was removed for no real reason. All I did was mention the EDC and its director in my play on the candle shop.

For those of you who missed it, it had something to do with the downtown waxing and a certain person being on a short wick prior to getting a fire lit beneath him/her.

It was pure comedy...probably the funniest thing any of you have ever read...ever.

quote:

For those of you who missed it, it had something to do with the downtown waxing and a certain person being on a short wick prior to getting a fire lit beneath him/her.

You have alternatives-www.nwburbs.net

Hi Normy!

Long time no talk. How are you?? I've been thinking about you lately (and not in a stalker type of way). How are you feeling? Hope all is well.

What's been the schnizzle in GE lately?

Jen,

If I had a picture of you, I'd have put it on a milk carton.

I've been good, thanks. I'm pretty much recovered from the surgery and doing everything, and I'm mean everything I was doing prior. As a matter of fact, I just got done running 4 miles.

We've missed you at the recent GEBB gatherings. What's been going on in your world?

That's awesome. I'm glad Normy. I hope you weren't running away from me...lol

I'll have to try to make it to a BB get-togethers one of these days.

Sorry I haven't kept up better. I have a new job...don't laugh...with the IRS! So far so good...I've been in training for a few months. I'm going to start my first case next week...eek. Out in the real non-training world. My sister keeps telling me I'm going to be like the human plague now...clearing every room, once I say who I work for. So maybe I won't be welcome at the BB get-togethers We've also been dealing with a family loss. My father-in-law passed away last month after a brief sickness...so we've been struggling through that one day at a time. We've been trying to keep my mother-in-law occupied...I can't imagine how she must feel after 43 yrs of marriage. Luckily she's an incredibly strong lady.

How do you like Tap House? We really like it so far.

Sorry about your loss.

We like the Tap House Grill so far, been there twice.

BTW-What is you avatar?