(Courtesy of Miguel Escanaba) A reader writes: "Thought you might enjoy some snack shop memories. It's been gone for two years now, which would have brought the Phillos brothers up to 49 years in business."
Click on the each photo to see a larger version. They're artistic and wonderful.
No mention of the Uptown Snack Shop would be complete without mentioning the David Bowie photo shoot that took place there, with no notice to the snack shop or its patrons. A video clip of the shoot and a brief history of the snack shop is here, courtesy of Compass Rose.
Sadly, businesses like these (especially the ultra-efficient, low-cost, no-bs ones run by Greek-Americans) are disappearing from the landscape.
ReplyDeleteOne can also argue these places (and especially their customers) simply don't have a place in the gentrifying, "Unique-So-Chique" Uptown envisioned by many people who comment on this site.
One can also argue that when the landlord sells the building out from under them, it's easier to retire after nearly 50 years in business. The enthusiasm with which Uptowners support the Golden Pancake House right down the street (you know, an ultra-efficient, low-cost, no-BS restaurant) blows your classist argument out of the water, bj.
ReplyDeleteSee, it's "diversity" (real diversity, not the way the word has been bastardized by Shiller). We can have high-cost restaurants AND low-cost dives and support them all. Yum, yum.
I miss these guys so much. The diner was safe haven for all of us tired and hungry Uptowners. My girl practically grew up there, the brothers her adopted uncles. Karen crocheted a blanket for Sophie when she was born. It was a family place where everyone was welcomed. It was the best of Uptown.
ReplyDeleteGreat response, trumansquarenabr!
ReplyDeleteNo matter how gentrified the neighborhood, there is always a desire for low-cost, low-bs places where you can just go and eat and not have to worry about anything else.
I don't think that the majority of the people who comment on this site want to see good, cheap, no-bs eateries and other establishments go anywhere. I think most people in Uptown want what most every other American wants: the right to live in a relatively clean, safe, and fun environment.
Clearing the streets of gangs and graffiti, helping the truly homeless and downtrodden, reducing or eliminating panhandling, and bringing in new businesses are all things that can co-exist in Uptown without sacrificing the things that make Uptown great and unique.
I could have SWORN this place was ripe for a diner makeover...some younger person capitlizing on it's location and going for a retro thing or something. It's a prime spot.
ReplyDeleteBJ, what do you care? You are in Evanston anyway right? Also, you are wrong. People who actually lives in the ward want lower crime and better responsiveness by the alderman. I know you like to confuse the issues to suit your vision, but comments like you made on this topic just make you look silly.
ReplyDeleteThese photos - and the place itself - have "Nighthawks' written all over them. Potential retro-hip appeal for Uptown newbies indeed!
ReplyDelete"I could have SWORN this place was ripe for a diner makeover...some younger person capitlizing on it's location and going for a retro thing or something. It's a prime spot."
ReplyDeleteThat means $8 burgers vs. $4 burgers; $5 shakes vs. $2 shakes; and $6 chili vs. $3 chili.
And speaking of "retro": All of the above cited former examples would be smaller-sized portions than the latter.
That means $8 burgers vs. $4 burgers; $5 shakes vs. $2 shakes; and $6 chili vs. $3 chili.
ReplyDeletehey, I never said it would be cheap. Edemame chili with acai milkshake, anyone?
"hey, I never said it would be cheap. Edemame chili with acai milkshake, anyone?"
ReplyDeleteLike I wrote earlier, "One can also argue these places (and especially their customers) simply don't have a place in the gentrifying, 'Unique-So-Chique' Uptown envisioned by many people who comment on this site."
There are some places like this that still exist in Lakeview (Arnold's at Irving Park Rd. and Broadway and the New Modern Grille at Halsted and Belmont come to mind), so I don't see why Uptown wouldn't retain this type of business.
ReplyDeleteI happened to like the Snack Shop I also like Unique-So-Chic. So billyjoe, you're welcome to argue your position. You're also welcome to argue the earth is flat.
ReplyDeleteWait....its not flat?
ReplyDeleteA Karmic lesson: Gary Poter, the new building owner and would-be condo slum developer who would not entertain the idea of giving the Snack Shop a lease, was stabbed to death by an employee a few weeks later.
ReplyDeleteHi billyjoe,
ReplyDeleteI think you've got things twisted. Young folks like me buy places in Uptown because it's still a little gritty, and has plenty of potential.
We want places like Uptown Snack Shop to flourish and get pissed when real-estate deals kill them off.
We're the folks who embrace the old school, highly authentic neighborhood staples. I can't tell you how proud I am to live near Carole's Country Bar on Clark. I bet the owners would have never guessed how the hipster mentality would change their business. That place is packed every friday and saturday - and it truly is one of the most authentic experiences one can have in the city.
Unfortunately, a lot of the gems that had great hipster appeal in Uptown, have been lost over the last few years. The Rainbo, The Saxony, and then Uptown Snack Shop all got stolen from us.
Fortunately there's still quite a few gems for us to hold onto.
So stop using polarizing stereotypes to fuel your logic. Yes, I'm a condo owner in a higher tax bracket - but in no way do I want the neighborhood to become Disney World.
For the record, here's what I do want (and I have plenty of friends just like me living in Uptown)
- To simply feel safe while I'm walking around the neighborhood
- To see less dopers and gangbangers on the sidewalk and see more artistic and creative-oriented folks who bring good energy to the neighborhood
- To see an uptick in healthy retail along broadway, wilson, and our crappy stretch of clark
Whether you wanna call us yuppies or hipsters - we're not the one's fucking up the neighborhood man! We're very much the good guys, trying our best to make it better :)
Neighborhoods like Ukranian Village and Logan Square are getting a lot more traction with folks like me - simply because their local leaders understand this dynamic.
very well said SPP, you captured a lot of my intent much more eloquently that I was able to this morning before my caffeine kicked in.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your insightful addition.
No offense sheridanparkparade, but YOU are the very reason those places you love, the "authentic" places. I know it's a mindblower, but by embracing those places, you and the rest of the "hipsters" (your word) kill them thanks to real estate developers who suddenly see potential where there was none before, or owners who suddenly find themselves making money and do everything they can to maintain the stuff that the "hipsters" like at the sake of the regulars who kept it alive all those years and made it "authentic". So you get the new 20ish tattooed female bartender for the new crowd, the jukebox with the slew of new alt-country CDs, the open mike band night that interrupts the regulars' Monday night football viewing, etc. And your "authentic" ceases to be "authentic" but instead become "authentic hipster". I'm not saying it's good, I'm not saying it's bad. It just is. Developers follow the money, so you get a Gap in Wicker Park or a Chipotle in Pilsen and they do great business by those seeking "authenticity". So if you're lamenting the loss of the Saxony, the Lakeview, etc., sorry, you have to sorta blame yourself.
ReplyDeleteP.S.: Please stop painting yourself and others like you as redevelopment messiahs or something. Lots of neighborhoods get along just fine without you. But if you do believe that your mere presence helps neighborhoods have a rebirth, I know some places in Englewood that you can get dirt cheap.
No offense sheridanparkparade, but YOU are the very reason those places you love, the "authentic" places.
ReplyDeleteSorry, that first sentence should have read "you are the very reason those places you love, the "authentic" places are gone."
MAS.
ReplyDeleteInteresting arguement.
So what you're saying is that young people, with money to spend, and a love for the city shouldn't go out in your neighborhood because it will totally ruin it?
Because the developers will come.
Because those developers have the potential to destroy the patina of the neighborhood.
There's some truth to that.
But at the same time, I think crime - gangs - and transients who don't even know what alley they're pissing in, yet alone what neighborhood they're panhandling in strip a neighborhood of it's very dignity.
You're just going to have to face it man. Young people want to live in the city these days. We're attracted to the culture, the architecture, and the energy. Uptown has enough of all of the above to peak our attention - it's got potential.
Maybe you're the one who should consider leaving. The future looks pretty bleak for folks of your mentality. Besides, Shiller can't keep one of Uptown's legs in the shitter for ever :) There's plenty of ticked off folks like me who want her outta here.
Who knows maybe you're fed up with the way things are going in the neighborhood too. But your logic doesn't seem to suport that. More of me - may mean a Chipotle or two - but it also means a lot less gun shots.
MAS ?
ReplyDeleteOoops. I meant MOTS (man on the street)
Oh and MOTS, I mean zero animosity towards you. I think what we're talking about here is a really interesting thing to debate over.
But I do plan on dining at the Golden House and fucking up the neighborhood a bit more tomorrow morning :)
MOTS is the first person to complain when someone gets stereotyped yet he feels the need to do it to others and other situation.
ReplyDeleteYour whole argument reeks of contempt. Do you really feel you have the answers? I know you climbed your way out of "affordable housing" but please drop the arrogant I'm the only one who can understand or feel this way arguments.
Sometimes businesses just evolve, change, lure different clientel. Sometimes it has nothing to do with evil homeowners. You seem to defend the street urchants 24/7, why not go after them for driving business out or changing your medical clinic in to a methadone clinic?
Well that just wouldn't put you up on that high former "affordable housing" horse.
Billyjoe, if you're so resentful, and or terrified of evil gentrification....is that the reason why you fled to Evanston, one of the wealthiest communities on the North Shore?
ReplyDeleteThese photos - and the place itself - have "Nighthawks' written all over them.
ReplyDeleteExactly my thoughts! A lot of people think 'Nighthawks' is depressing and shows alienation. My take on it is that the diner is a bright beacon in the dark and sometimes unwelcoming city, where people can gather and find their place. Which is exactly how I thought of the Uptown Snack Shop. I haven't been to the pancake house as much, but (judging on how much people who go there love it) I imagine it has a similar vibe.
What makes the loss of Uptown Snack Shop even more poignant is that the space is now sitting vacant and unused.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this UU, I really loved that place.
Your whole argument reeks of contempt. Do you really feel you have the answers? I know you climbed your way out of "affordable housing" but please drop the arrogant I'm the only one who can understand or feel this way arguments.
ReplyDeleteI'll drop my "argument" (which you obviously fail to understand), if you get rid of the chip on your shoulder. No one is calling you an evil homeowner, but you seem to want to defend yourself against that phantom claim at every opportunit. Stop the self-flagellating.
What I said is true. Money follows money. There's a reason the Gap and Starbucks didn't move into Wicker Park until the condos start coming in. It's a fact. And they often do so at the expense of the other places that have been there for a while, another fact. I also made a point of saying I don't think it's a good thing or a bad thing. It just is. You seemed to want to ignore that. And since the post I was responding to complained about the disappearance of the "cool" places I merely pointed out why. There's a reason that Saxony is gone and the New Uptown Lounge is in. You can't be that stupid as to deny and not see the reason. Well, maybe YOU can.
Oh, and I would SERIOUSLY love to talk to you in person about this. No, this is not a threat, but I would seriously love to hear you explain all of this in person. Much easier to straighten out all of the misconceptions and half-assed theories you have. Meet me halfway. Seriously.
ReplyDeleteSo what you're saying is that young people, with money to spend, and a love for the city shouldn't go out in your neighborhood because it will totally ruin it?
ReplyDeleteSorry, no, that's not what I'm saying.
You complain that all of the "cool" places are going. I merely said that, sorry, the changing neighborhood is the reason why. I also said I don't think it's a good thing, I don't think it's a bad thing, but you seem to have ignored that part. But it's a fact. Money follows Money. If the neighborhood changes to the point where there are more people of means (not necessarily condo owners, but people with more money than the previous tenants and people with a disposable income), then businesses that want to capitalize on that will follow, sometimes as the expense of the "cool" and "authentic" places that you speak of. Bottom line: there was no sushi place, wine bar, Uptown Lounge, etc. here when Uptown was primarily low-income and condoless about 15 or 20 years ago. It's a fact. I couldn't care less if condos come in or not. I don't consider all condo owners evil, no matter what some stereotyping idiot write. and if I EVER said such a thing, prove it or STFU.
Second, YOU'RE the one who painted yourself as the savior of neighborhoods, a pretty arrogant statement considering all of the other neighborhoods that are getting along fine.
Maybe you're the one who should consider leaving.
Again, where did I say you should leave? Please, someone point that out to me. if you can't then don't bring that hoary old idea into the conversation. You wanted to know why the authentic place leave. I told you my viewpoint. If you don';t want to face the fact that they often times get pushed out by newer places seeking your alleged disposable income, then dont'. But don't put words in my message-board-mouth that i didnt say. I never said condo owners were evil. I never said you should leave. i never said it was good. I never said it was bad. Stick to my words.
MOTS
ReplyDeleteOnly a mental-mouse wouldn't understand that money follows money. Come on man, some of do a little more than sit on the net all day and pontificate.
Here's the issue. And you don't have to take my word for it. A professor by the name of Richard Florida has researched this to great length. He wrote a book called "Rise of the Creative Class" which you might find interesting.
Becasue of folks like me, neighborhoods change. Not because of one specific cause and related effect - and not jsut due to your very simplistic notion of money chasing money - but for a myriad of inter-related reasons.
The end all be all, is that neighborhoods are literally organisms. They can mutate, they can evolve, they can degenerate ---- a lot that's unpredictable can happen with a neighborhood, but what is certain is that they will change.
All you can do is embrace it or reject it :)
More of me = change (good or bad depending on your viewpoint)
Less of me = stagnation (which in terms of Uptown really translates to something like "Continuation of gang bangers selling drugs and aggressive transients throwing booze bottles.")
Call that "being a savior" - but I think it's just being honest.
Becasue of folks like me, neighborhoods change. Not because of one specific cause and related effect - and not jsut due to your very simplistic notion of money chasing money - but for a myriad of inter-related reasons.
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm sure upscale bars move in because of your social consciousness...
Like I said, I don't care one way or the other. If new businesses, move in and flouish, great. Go for it. If they don't, so be it. But please stop painting yourself as the savior of neighborhoods. You're just one more cog in the evolution of a city.
I clicked here hoping to read some fond memories of the snack shop (30 posts!) but found only squabbling. The reality of this situation was that a new owner denied the longtime tenants (the restaurant) a lease and gave them notice to leave. They left -- some retired, some found other jobs. Then the owner and would-be developer was stabbed to death by a disgruntled employee. Hence the building sits, contributing nothing whereas it used to be a beacon in the early morning (they started at 4 a.m.) and well into the evening, 6 p.m. The careless wrecking of gathering places such as this is the kind of thing that may eventually drive me out of Chicago. First they came for the snack shop ...
ReplyDeleteI loved this place too. Only half kidding---do you think there could be some TIF funds available to help reopen it? I know deep down Helen must have a soft spot for the Uptown Snack Shop. I can't imagine how she wouldn't. I've been so sad that its gone.
ReplyDeleteShe may have had a soft spot for it but I can tell you that she and her staff did zip to keep it even though we asked for her intervention.
ReplyDelete