Monday, May 11, 2009

New Business At Vis Vitae

We were glad to see one of the storefronts at the new Vis Vitae condo building (Leland & Clark) already has a business in it. Welcome, B&B Cleaners! According to the sign on the door, it's open Monday through Friday, 7am-7pm, and Saturday from 8am-5pm.

12 comments:

  1. glad small business folks are willing to take a gamble in ravenswood - now how about some new shops on wilson?

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  2. Nice building with a nice business. Notice the security camera`s on the building corners. Hope this business stays around for a while....

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  3. While I am very happy that a much needed business has moved in to this space- do we really need another dry cleaners!?

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  4. I second the Nash-ion! Problem, is, a LOT of developers build restrictions into the "commercial business" aspects of the condo rules. So as a result, many of the kinds of businesses that the residents would really appreciate - like a small restaurant, convenience store or hair salon - are verboten, while law firms, bank branches, dry cleaners (usually drop-off only) are given the green light.

    Personally, I'd like to see more clothing/accessory stores since a lot of them were displaced by Vis Vitae to begin with. But something tells me the rents are prohibitive.

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  5. I thank Uptown for reminding me of my many years spent in Detroit. Wig shops, nail shops, dry cleaners, car washes, check cashing joints, iron gates..... Anyway, I received an advertisement in the mail with some nice pictures of a grocery store that I thought I'd might visit. Noted the address, uh, no thanks. Even if I liked the place, I don't want to be jacked in the parking lot.

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  6. Well, the market will dictate whether or not "another" dry cleaners is needed. I welcome any business in that spot that can benefit the residents moving into the neighborhood and building.

    It's also pretty funny to read the reactions to new businesses here -- not another restaurant! Not another hair braiding place! Not another dry cleaners! Not another empty storefront!

    As far as the kinds of businesses that condo buildings approve, you have to think about the odors and garbage and loud crowds produced. Onsite dry cleaners and food establishments aren't what I'd particularly like to live right on top of.

    I live very close to two restaurants right now, and the garbage (as well as the vermin that's attracted to it) and people leaving at 1:30 a.m. and making noise (on my residential street, NOT a retail corridor) make them less than ideal neighbors.

    In fact, I'd love to have "another dry cleaners" there instead. ;-)

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  7. TSN - Interesting that while I said "hair salon" you said "hair braiding place." There are some "upscale" type salons in Uptown, catering to multi-cultural clientele, which could be very much appreciated by the newcomers to the Vis Vitae and other condo developments.

    BTW the Monitor Cleaners, just a block away from VV, is an excellent business and an asset to the neighborhood.

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  8. TSN - Interesting that while I said "hair salon" you said "hair braiding place."

    I wasn't quoting you directly, just repeating what I see over and over again on this blog. Sorry for misquoting you, but I really wasn't. :-)

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  9. OK, TSN, no problem. But at any rate from the female point of view I would love to see more nice spa/salons, clothing boutiques, etc. on the main floors of these condo developments rather than closed-evening-and-weekend-type sterile office spaces. They go against everything Jane Jacobs recommended in her classic study of urban renewal.

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  10. I agree with you -- boutique-y and retail spots would be great. No fumes, no vermin.

    Also, TSN is female. ;-)

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  11. I took advantage of the "grand opening special" since it's now time to get the winter stuff cleaned and put away. The clerks were very nice to me and gave me an "special grand opening gift" - a nylon laundry/dry cleaning bad for my next batch of items to be brought to them for cleaning.

    However, I still intend to patronize Monitor as well. Competition is important for capitalism! (And they just buried one of their birds - steady customers will know what I mean.)

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  12. Meanwhile, work continues to finish work on the corner unit. That's the unit that was (I believe) going to be a Starbucks, before they started closing locations. Walking by the other day, I looked in at the plans sitting on the counter, and there's some sort of cafe going in there.

    Let's hope it's something good.

    I was also surprised that the dry cleaners moved in so close to an established dry cleaner.

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