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player ready...For the past three years, the Marshall Field’s “Fash Bash” has been one of the hottest social events of our all-too-short summer season. The combination of a glitzy fashion show in the Chicago Theater followed by a lavish party inside Field’s State Street store drew more than 1,800 guests last year.
But now Fash Bash is history–at least in Chicago. That’s because the rights to the event’s name actually belong to the Founder Junior Council of the Detroit Institute of the Arts.
When Field’s pulled its support from Detroit’s biggest fashion event earlier this year, the Junior Council didn’t just get mad, it got even. The group told Field’s it could no longer use Fash Bash as the name of its events in Chicago and Minneapolis.
So Fash Bash has morphed into Glamorama. The spectacle will take place Aug. 9 in Chicago and will feature a Las Vegas theme and be hosted by Vegas legend Wayne Newton.
Following the fashion show, Field’s seventh floor will be transformed into a casino setting complete with living statues, Roman arches and even a wedding chapel.
Field’s spokeswoman Heidi Weaver is putting a positive spin on the turn of events. The name change was made to “reflect the larger scope of the event,” she says. “Glamorama implies glamor, fashion, entertainment and style. It’s more about the panoramic nature of the event.”
We’re not so sure. Perhaps Field’s should have consulted with the flea market folks at Swap-O-Rama to get a better handle on that.
Balancing act: Abt Electronics and Appliances is decamping this weekend from Morton Grove to Glenview in search of more space for its giant showroom and warehouse. And that’s good news for the Village of Glenview’s coffers.
The village’s budget for the current fiscal year is $31.7 million. Glenview will be receiving 1 percent of Abt’s estimated $125 million in sales in the form of sales tax. That could add up to about $1.3 million, a nice windfall for the mostly residential community.
“It’s a terrific addition to the village’s revenue base,” says Dan Wiersma, Glenview’s director of finance. “We’re delighted. We’re doing handstands.”
Of course, Glenview’s gain is Morton Grove’s loss. But it’s not as bad as it sounds. McGrath Acura is moving from Glenview to Morton Grove, which should help to cover some of the revenue shortfall from Abt’s exit.
Maybe Bob Abt could throw in a few microwaves and portable TVs, too.
Kudos: The International Council of Shopping Centers has presented a distinguished service award to Frances Spencer, an assistant commissioner in the city’s Department of Planning and Development and head of the Retail Chicago program.
Spencer, who has worked hard to get the nation’s retailers to put stores in Chicago’s diverse collection of neighborhoods, was recognized for her work with the council to encourage public-private partnerships.
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