Susan Chandler

Two Chicago legends from very different walks of life are retiring at the same time. Joan Weinstein, founder and chairwoman of Oak Street fashion powerhouse Ultimo Enterprises Ltd., swears it's...

It hasn't been an easy decade for owners of independent bookstores. Superstore chains such as Borders Group and Barnes & Noble have built thousands of gigantic stores in their backyards....

The Web can be an amazingly powerful tool for small retailers--if you have a bunch of loyal customers that already know you're out there. That's what Bill Penzeys, president of...

Should Kohl's Corp., the fast-growing Menomonee Falls, Wis., chain that sells tons of Levis and Nikes, pay big bucks for Mervyn's, a distressed unit of Dayton Hudson Corp.? On the...

Sawbridge Studios is trading up. The purveyor of fine, handmade furniture will close its flagship Chicago store at 406 N. Clark St. on Thursday and reopen nearby at 153 W....

If the 1980s were the decade of excess and the 1990s the decade of minimalism, the first 10 years after the millennium will be the decade of solitude. That's the...

In a major shake-up in the financial services industry, Gary C. Wendt, GE Capital Services' beleaguered chairman, resigned Tuesday. Dennis Dammerman, the firm's chief operating officer, will succeed him as...

Sam's Wine & Spirits, a Chicago institution for more than 50 years, is being acquired by a California liquor-store chain that plans to make the venerable wine dealer the anchor...

The economy is strong, unemployment is at historic lows and every month thousands of jobs are being created around the country. But in Illinois, more than three-quarters of the fastest-growing...

The holiday shopping season got off to a decent start Thanksgiving weekend, boosted by the balmiest November temperatures in recent memory. But retailers have noticed in recent years that throngs...