Susan Chandler

Paola Cesa tore through the hallways of the Magnificent Mile's Niketown store. Racks upon racks of tennis outfits, backpacks and shoes passed by in a blur as she searched for...

Gallery 37 is the award-winning program that employs Chicago high school kids to create works of art. Originally named for the long-vacant city block on State Street where the apprentice...

Wholesale clubs were a hot retailing phenomenon in the late 1980s and early '90s. With their deeply discounted brand-name products, they attracted crowds of bargain-hunting shoppers and small-business owners who...

Lincoln Park working women loved them. So did Wilmette soccer moms. Kenar Enterprises' well-priced, fashionable crepe suits, pants and dresses have been a mainstay in women's wardrobes for more than...

Lots of retailers are looking for ways to bring customers back to their stores more frequently. Some, such as Sears, Roebuck and Co., believe an exciting cosmetics department is the...

It's not easy taking over a neighborhood landmark, especially one like Shinnick Drugs, which has anchored a corner on Armitage Avenue in Lincoln Park for 92 years. It's only natural...

After shelling out $102 for rent, $45 for electricity and $50 for the phone, 70-year-old Ella Dover doesn't have much left from her $503 monthly Social Security check. So anything...

The Nutcracker is nice. Cinderella is fine. But when it comes to decorating Christmas windows with a punchy, relevant theme, there can't be many better than Dr. Seuss' "How the...

Lands' End Chief Executive Michael Smith wasn't kidding when he said he wanted to take the catalog company back to basics. First, he sold off Montbell America, a catalog of...

Generation X has been a tough sell for retailers. This storied demographic group was psychologically bruised by the recession in the early 1990s. Scarce jobs for graduates strained their finances...