Like other hardworking politicians, Chicago aldermen have long wish lists: more effective community policing; fewer undercover probes; more economic development.
When it comes to development, the aldermen often end up in the office of Christopher Hill, the city’s commissioner of the Department of Planning and Development, with a list of retailers they hope to locate in their wards.
Hill and his staff patiently explain that persuading a national retailer to open a store outside a downtown area is no easy feat. But this year, the Planning Department decided to let some aldermen see for themselves by flying them to the International Council of Shopping Centers convention in Las Vegas May 21-24.
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The ICSC show is a giant cavalcade of retailers and real estate developers, ideal for the kind of schmoozing that seals deals. The aldermen who went on the four-day, city-paid trip, included Thomas Allen (38th); Shirley Coleman (16th); Arenda Troutman (20th); Patrick Levar (45th); Freddrenna Lyle (6th); Emma Mitts (37th); Virginia Rugai (19th).
Although the trip had the makings of a gambling junket, the aldermen came prepared to do serious business with ward maps and demographic data. Hill’s staff prearranged dozens of appointments for the aldermen with retailers, developers and real estate brokers, all of whom play a role in deciding where a new store ends up.
“If you don’t know the right people, you may be talking to someone who can never get a `yes,'” Hill said.
The aldermen’s timing couldn’t have been better. Among the convention’s hot topics: suburban saturation and opportunities afforded by overlooked urban areas.
Two giant retailers–Gap Inc. and Starbucks Corp.–recently have acknowledged that much of their growth will come from in-filling urban areas. Gap told Chicago officials it wants to use the city as a model for its new urban strategy, while Starbucks pledged to look at underserved areas such as Englewood, Bronzeville and Jefferson Park for the 30 to 40 new outlets it has planned for the city.
“They need us, and we need them,” Hill said.
Ald. Rugai, who represents Beverly, Morgan Park and Mt. Greenwood on the South Side, says she thought the trip “was very worthwhile. I felt good about the contacts I made. Now, I’m following up with them.”
Among the retailers and eateries she talked to were Old Navy, Bombay Co., Corner Bakery and Starbucks. More than a few were impressed that Rugai was there in person, she says.
As for the lure of slot machines and craps tables, Rugai says there wasn’t much time between appointments and sleeping. For these aldermen, cutting deals is more fun than throwing dice.
Eat up: Restaurants and retail stores don’t always make a tasty combination. Running an eatery requires a different set of skills, and expensive mistakes don’t end up being marked down. They end up in the garbage.
But some retail restaurants turn out to be big winners. Take American Girl Place at 111 E. Chicago Ave. The girl-oriented cafe has served up more than 150,000 cookies and 85,000 cups of pudding since opening in 1998.
On a smaller scale, the Joy of Ireland store in the Chicago Place mall at 700 N. Michigan Ave. is enjoying surprising success with its tea room.
The tea room, which overlooks Michigan Avenue’s bustle, has been open for a little more than a year. From serving tea and scones, Joy of Ireland has expanded to serving smoked salmon lunches and high tea with petit fours.
Just this week, store co-owners Richard Kosmacher and Michael Joy took the next step, adding a liquor license that allows them to serve beer, wine and single-malt scotches such as Glenfiddich and Highland Park.
The evolution of the tea room has come because of customer requests, not the owners’ egos. “People said, `I’d like to have a glass of wine with lunch,'” Kosmacher said.
The tea room, which requires a head chef and assistant, is profitable and helps drive traffic to the store, which sells a panoply of Irish merchandise from Waterford crystal to Guinness party packs.
It also works in the other direction: Shoppers who wander into the store end up discovering the tea room and staying for lunch.
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Contact Susan Chandler at [email protected].