Saturday, July 25, 2015

It's Official! Ross Dress For Less Coming To Montrose Avenue


In April, Uptown Update posted the news that Mid-America Real Estate Group's website was featuring a listing for the former Dearborn Wholesale site at 918 Montrose, with renderings showing that Ross Dress For Less would be the anchor tenant.  Shortly after we posted about it, we were told that the deal with Ross had not yet been finalized, despite the diagrams on the website.

An observant reader (thanks, JD!) sent in this photo today, which confirms that Ross is indeed coming to Montrose.  The flyer and specs are no longer on Mid-America's website, but as of last April there was still one retail space with 4,800 square feet available at the site. So even if Ross Dress for Less isn't your cuppa tea, there's still room for another retailer that might be.

With Pensacola Place right across the street recently selling for $66 million, it seems Montrose is experiencing a heyday.  Good to see so many companies investing big money in Uptown.

23 comments:

  1. Great, Another store to bring the sketchy lower class people into uptown, Another reason to drive property values into the ground. Why not focusing on increasing value by driving high end stores into the area. What about a Mariano's? J Crew, Banana, Best Buy or something that the middle class would visit. Have no fear Cappleman will praise that he got a new business to come into Uptown. Well honestly surprised Ross waited so long, the fine citizens with their link card have been waiting. Of course nothing is going on with the property at Clarendon and Montrose!! Cappleman of course turned down getting the #1 elementary or charter school into Uptown. I guess have crappy schools is good for the clientele that will be visiting Ross.

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    1. I've shopped at other Ross locations for some time now, guess I shouldn't tell my condo board that I'm one of those "sketchy lower class people" who appreciates great deals on name brand clothing and housewares.

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    2. Wow, I've been shopping at Ross for years in California and Illinois because of the bargains on name brand clothing and great stuff for my house. I must be sketchy too! Forget that it brings jobs to the neighborhood. Forget that it's a step in the right direction. Forget that it's SOMETHING rather than an abandoned building. "Driving high end stores" into the area is not as simple as it sounds. I've worked in economic development in a smaller city much like the streets of Uptown and it's an uphill battle at best. I don't know anything about Cappleman, but it would be nice you'd be a bit more sensitive in how you judge your neighbors and their financial situations and not resort to name calling.

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    3. Sorry if you offended,but my style is obviously different. I can afford and comfortable paying the Nordstrom, Banana, and Neiman prices. I am sure none of these brands will be at Ross.

      Ross has done there due diligence and know that Uptown has the market for them. They wouldn't put a store in lakeview or LP since the clientele wouldn't support.

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    4. CIU,

      is being an asshole a "style" choice? By the way take a look at the Ross locations throughout our fine metropolitan area. There's one at Randolph and State within site of the mini Nordstrom and Macy's. Probably some other stuff too. I'm hardly an expert on retail. In fact I hate shopping.

      Now I asked my teenage niece about Ross. She claims it's better than a dollar store and sorta like a smallish Target or the lamented Filene's Basement chain. I bought some underwear at Filene's once. Ok, it was a push up bra, but it matched my skin tone.

      Anyhoo here's an idea. If you want to shop at Nordstrom or some other high end retailer shop there. It may mean taking a cab or train, but you can afford it. That's why downtown exists so YOU can go shopping.

      Your style? Now from your writing style you're obviously male. Why don't you track down recently resigned Congressman Aaron Schock and go shopping. The two of you can compare your styles. See who's more stylish and whatnot. Help him pick out some stylish clothes for any depositions or court appearances he may have in his future.

      You could become a "style" consultant and perhaps get your own TV show: Asshole Style Guy. You'd be so famous you would be known as ASG.

      AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH

      Walk over to Southport in N. Lakeview they have a handful of high end clothing chains. I think. I buy my clothing at the CVS across the the Jewel(s) on Southport.

      Just your presence will improve the style of that street.

      Gawd, you annoy me. You were a theater geek in high school weren't you? Overly dramatic. All about yourself. You're probably still doing bad dinner or summer theater somewhere. "Oh I got to be the third witch at the St Mary of the Stylists basement version of "Macbeth". Clap clap clap.

      Seriously, you don't really annoy me.........at least that much, but you can always shop in other hoods or you can find yourself a rich sugar daddy with bad eyesight and move to a hood that is more appealing to you.

      This is what my earlier post about whiners was all about. There's no pleasing everyone.

      Good night stylish Prince.

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    5. Regarding the first question in your latest diatribe, you could have saved yourself a lot of keystrokes if you had just told Crazy that the position had already been filled.

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    6. Why must you hurt? Why must you throw off those negative waves?

      CIU had made a lifestyle choice to be an asshole.

      For me it's more of an occasional and sometimes frequent foray into the dark underbelly of my own EGO/ID. A short roadtrip into the dark underbelly of the stygian depths that propel me to use a word like "stygian".

      CIU is angry that he's been on the losing side of the last two elections and if only the voters had picked his two choices or better yet him all would be well.

      Me I'm just a crying on the inside kinda clown. One is also occasionally passive aggressive enough NOT to provide a hyperlink.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUcIzgeh-So

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  2. I guess that you think that Ross is the Dollar General of clothing, CiU. Eight years ago, it would have been a T-shirt, hair weave and fingernail mall. You start getting the attention of the Marianos, J Crews, and Best Buys by having a stable business community and stable residents--and venues like Ross are a start. I wish you would constructively channel your criticisms and intensity--if you think Uptown is ready for upscale businesses, get your butt out there and recruit those businesses and the middle class residents they want to see in the demographics before they move in.

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    1. Bear the funny part is I know the CFO of a very large restaurant group that has said they won't even consider Uptown, cause they don't want to deal with Cappelman. This is a group that owns several establishments across the city. I again ask the question what Business's have come into Uptown? What business have left?

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  3. What no Trader Joe's or Chipolte--spelling? If you want better retail then added density is needed in the hood. If you want any retail at some spots added density is needed. Thankfully with the TOD ordinances and economy we may see a few hundred or even a thousand or so new units in the next few years.

    That will be good for the hood, for da city and for da taxpayers.

    As for the Decatur school I hope they end up in Uptown. Cappleman likely hopes they end up here too, but given the fiscal realities of the school district and a governor who thinks Walker in Cheeseland is a role model I wouldn't count on it.

    I gotta love my fellow taxpayers. Many demand lotsa services and shiny stuff, but raise taxes to pay for it..............NEVER.

    Da city motto is "City in a Garden". As Royko said some of you would change it to "Where's Mine".


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  4. Trader Joes would be great, but they probably don't want to be in Uptown, cause Alderman is so hard to deal with. What business have come to town since being elected? We want Uptown to grow and be the new hot spot, but unless we get the right business were going to be in for a long haul

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    1. Oh, Crazy, now you're just making shit up. TJ's isn't interested in coming to Uptown or Edgewater. That's per Alderman OSTERMAN. See: http://www.uptownupdate.com/2013/08/just-not-that-into-us.html. Molly got over that she didn't win. Time for you to do the same?

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    2. Now you're being silly. Cappleman's zoning committee has issues with the Maryville proposals and he decides to NOT overrule them--so he's "hard to deal with"? He decides that he'd rather have a neighborhood school instead of a charter school--and he's "hard to deal with"? After decades of Helen Shiller and her skills at pushing reputable developers away from Uptown, we get Cappleman--and the developers ARE coming in, both residential and commercial. It's good to push things to keep the momentum going and increasing, but if you expect a magical overnight transformation of Uptown into Lincoln Park, then you're smoking some of the stuff that my gangbanging neighbors sell. Focus. Be constructive. Set your sights high, but not unrealistically high and not unrealistically fast.

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    3. Bear an Alderman has to make tough decisions and not be a puppet. Look at Tunney, He listens but sometimes has to go against the grain and allow things to happen. Maryville will never be developed in the near future, because developers don't want to spend a ton of money to find out the committee won't accept anything.

      He wants to push neighborhood schools that have ratings of 2 with a 35% attendance. The reason families leave is the schools in Uptown suck and I who have children will never send my kid to school here. I don't expect a magical transformation, but ask the puppet to be involved with everyone, not just the people he kissed there a$$ for votes.

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  5. Isn't there a Mariano's just built up on Foster and Sheridan. As much I would like one a little closer to me, cause I don't own a garage or a car, but there is one pretty much in uptown already.

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  6. A name brand national store coming into the neighborhood-Good! Anything that is not another dollar store, wig shop, and shit shop is good for us all. We have Target, now we need a Home Depot!

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  7. I like Ross. I'm glad it's coming.

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  8. Let's review some of the complaints directed toward the Capplemaniac

    In no particular order.


    1. Sonic is fast food and too downscale.

    2. 42 Grams is too upscale.

    3. Ross is too downscale

    4. I'm waiting for someone to say Ross is too upscale. Sheet, Ross is too upscale.

    5. He enables the gangs.

    6. He's too hard on the gangs and needs to reach out to them.

    7. He cares too much for the people in subsidized housing.

    8. He cares too much for property owners/condo owners.

    9. He's not a lesbian with no real involvement in the neighborhood.(Ok he's not a lesbian...........that part is true)

    10. He should move the Pride Parade.

    11. He should support the Pride Parade.

    12. He's gay, but he's not a lesbian. (again true)

    13. He doesn't own a car. He hates car owners.

    14. He's too pro car owner. Why all this talk about parking?

    15. His husband dresses him funny. (Hey at least he wears clothing while outside. Cops keep sending me home saying it's not a clothing optional neighborhood----------Fascist Tools of the Running Dog Capitalists!)

    16. We need more cops.

    17. We need fewer cops.

    18. My liquor store doesn't carry my favorite IPA's.....THANKS Cappleman

    19. We should vote the entire ward dry. We need more upscale liquor stores.

    20. His campaigns focused too much on his whole "gay thing".

    21. His campaigns aren't "gay thing" enough and need to be more fabulous.

    22. He hates women and is scared of them.(Actual complaint I saw on Everyblock)

    23. His office and professional life have a relative abundance of lesbian women and it's doesn't match the exact percentage of lesbians in the ward.

    24. Stewart school should be turned over to Decatur. Stewart should be a neighborhood school. Stewart should be sold to developers and torn down. Stewart should be sold to developers and preserved.

    25. No legal weed shops in Uptown. It's evil.

    26. Where are my legal weed shops?

    27. Final complaint no movie showings by the Park District at night of the original "Batman" tv series.

    This sums it all up well.

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  9. We sure could of used a nice pet store. On the other hand at least it's not a liquor store or smoke shop that sells pot pipes. What type of clothing does Ross sell?

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    1. There are locally owned pet stores at 4131 Broadway (Curious Creatures) and 1148 Leland (Soggy Paws), as well as chain stores just south of Irving Park on Broadway, and two just north of Foster on Broadway. But you can still lobby for one there, because there's still 4500sf available! Do your thing, start making calls and sending emails.

      What kind of merchandise does Ross sell? Here, let me Google that for you.

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    2. Kate, think you. I am getting up their in age and don't do "google". I do enjoy Soggy Paws. My poodle, Poochie, has PTSD from all the various gun shots and loud yelling in the neighborhood. It's a shame.

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  10. To "Crazy In Uptown"

    How is it bringing lower class people to the neighborhood when there's a ROSS store on Randolph and Wabash..DOWNTOWN?! Judging someone based off their shopping preference has to be the most closed minded thing I've read all day. Pardon me but compared to someone who lives and shops in the Hamptons while you live in shop in Chicago... some may consider you to be LOW CLASS lol. The more negativity you breed the more the world will never see change. Ego's and judgment never wins. Good day!

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