We hope this new franchise takes better care of its facility than the Family Dollar at 4613 N Broadway, which has been closed several times by the Health Department, the latest incident happening just over a year ago.
Having said that, we think more tenants, more customers, and more eyes on the street can only be a good thing for Weiss Plaza, which has had so many problems over the past few years. We hope that the new Family Dollar will be a proactive and successful neighbor.
I had heard Banana Republic.
ReplyDeleteHA! Uptown sarcasm. I like..
DeleteUsually the cycle is: Empty Storefront -> Family Dollar -> HR Block -> Starbucks -> THEN Banana Republic... We have to make progression first. ;-)
ReplyDeleteWhat is the point of opening a Family Dollar less than 5 minutes around the corner from an existing Family Dollar? Makes no sense to me. I guess the city is already saturated with 7-Eleven/Dunkin/CVS/Walgreens/Subway/Starbucks doing the same stuff having a location every block... ugh.
ReplyDeleteShandelle, I'm sorry that it makes no sense to you.
ReplyDeleteUptown definitely has the cash 4 gold, dollar store and subway market cornered.
ReplyDeleteI think it could be a good addition to the shopping center. It is better than an empty store, and will be convenient for those in the immediate area who need to quickly pick up an item or two. Right now the options are JJ Peppers and S&L Pantry, both of which have their drawbacks.
ReplyDeleteI would like to see a nice restaurant or a cool new bar. Not a crappy family dollar for homeless people to hang out in front of. I would rather see an empty store front than that crappy store.
ReplyDeleteI hate to be picky (especially in Uptown where sometimes some development is better than no development), but I just can't foresee a/another dollar store contributing to the positive development of the neighborhood. A bar/restaurant would be nice of course, though perhaps a bit of a difficult spot to set up shop at. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Brian Kilpatrick and Alexander on this.
ReplyDeleteThe ever prestigious JJ Peppers cornered the vagrant crack head prostitute gang banger demographic just fine on its own; we don't need another draw for those types of people on that corner... It's already a scary place.
I would prefer to see something like a family restaurant or another wholesome establishment to draw out the decent people in our neighborhood. It seems like we're always catering to the dregs of society.
Some posters still have a very outdated idea of what "dollar stores" are all about. They are much more like traditional discount stores nowadays and attract middle-class buyers who want good bargains in today's economy. The "off-brand" merchandise that used to be standard in these stores is now sharing shelf space with major national brands. Dollar-store proprietors have taken note of the demographic and economic changes over the past decade. If you don't believe me check out some of the other Family Dollar, Dollar General and Dollar Bill's stores in the area.
ReplyDeleteOh, for crying out loud. Now we're linking discount stores with "vagrant[s] crack head[s] prostitute[s] and gang banger[s]"? I am embarrassed sometimes by what gets posted here.
ReplyDeleteYou know who you see in a dollar store? A lot of people who look just like you! As well as:
- families working minimum wage jobs who want make sure their kids have lots of presents under the tree, and Family Dollar's "toys under ten dollars" make that possible.
- working moms who think a $5 bottle of Tide at Family Dollar is just as good as a $9 bottle at Jewel, or a $2 box of no-name cookies is just as good as a $4 box of brand name cookies.
- people who are moving and want to stock their new home with waste baskets, mops, and canister sets.
- older people getting $12 land line phones there because they can't afford cell phones, or can't see the small numbers on them.
- college students buying ramen and mac 'n' cheese, or cheap kittie litter so they can afford to keep their pets.
- You even see people whose income has been cut down to a third of what it used to be after they were laid off from their cushy corporate jobs, or whose COBRA benefits have just run out.
If you had grandparents who were immigrants or old-time Chicagoans, they probably shopped at Woolworths or the local five-and-dime. That's about the same price point consumer that Family Dollar serves.
My God, the only "dregs of society" I see are people who think discount store shoppers are immoral criminals, and who would rather have a storefront stay empty another ten years than be patronized by people who don't qualify for a gold American Express card.
I am upper middle class and I shop at dollar stores. You can get great deals at them, and who doesn't want to save a buck where you can. I really like the dollar store at Berwyn, across from the Jewel. I've never seen a "vagrant crack head prostitute gang banger demographic" in that store. Mostly its hard working people who are watching the budgets-the kind of people who live in Uptown. Who knows have Family Dollar will turn out, but I'm choosing to be optimistic. Of course it would be great to have a bar or restaurant there, but I'll take what I see as a small step in a positive direction.
ReplyDeleteTrumanSquareNabr, I was less speaking about the dollar store attracting vagrants crackheads and hookers (stating that the ever-classy JJ Peppers already draws those types to this lovely strip mall) but speaking more to the point that a dollar store will do nothing to change this reality.
ReplyDeleteYour haughty diatribe notwithstanding I do ask that you at least make an effort to see my point. Let me restate it to be clear; another store catering to the lower middle-class and the plethora of decidedly lower-class individuals inhabiting SRO's in the neighborhood certainly will not be helpful in "classing up the joint"… None of our property values will be going up with a dollar store moving in like they did when the Dominick's was built. My point is simple; the type of store matters and dollar stores (like pawn shops) have a negative stigma associated with them; one that is certainly not helpful in "bringing up" a neighborhood.
Also, it would be nice if you could refrain from personal attacks in your posts – it’s unwarranted and not appreciated.
Pleasant day to you.
I can certainly find value with a Family Dollar--and by that I mean, until we were to be as lucky as to get a Michael's or Hobby Lobby (hey, a crafter can dream, right?) then there is a ton of stuff to be ferreted out there for a Martha Stewart-y kind of gal.
ReplyDeleteWhere else am I supposed to get my tea-lights and table-scatter around here, geez? This apartment does not turn into a holiday wonderland (that's right, WONDERLAND!!) on its own!
Still though, having a Michael's within walking distance would make me weak in the knees and tingly all over..