Friday, April 8, 2011

A Beautiful, Empty Store

Such a sad photo.  Borders, we loved having you here.

39 comments:

  1. Very sad indeed. I always made a point of shopping here, as opposed to the more convenient loop store.

    I guess I'm comforted by the fact that a 'mega-meth clinic' or no-income project won't move in?

    God I'd love to see a Trader Joe's in this space. (I realize this makes me an evil property owning Yup)

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  2. A TJ's would be great [although I've lost track of how many "high-end grocery stores" have been promised to Uptowners over the years]. I love that it has a yuppie reputation, when in actuality the prices are much cheaper than Jewel on many items.

    As someone who watched the Goldblatt's site sit vacant for many, many years until Borders came, I hope it gets a tenant soon. A gorgeous building like that deserves to be used.

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  3. Well said TSN.
    You're right about Trader Joe's prices. (I think the parent company is Aldi?)

    And to your point, it's such a great building.....here's hoping for the best!

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  4. I would love to see it, but how would a Trader Joes work in that location without parking?

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  5. The no parking is a problem. A destination store like H & M or someplace where you wouldn't be purchasing a lot of heavy items might work. Making the public transportation angle work is key.

    A community center or interactive museum would be nice. But how to pay for it?

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  6. I could see a massive coffee shop going in on at least one floor of this building. If anybody visited North/Milwaukee/Damen area about 5-7 years ago, there used to be a coffee shop by the name of 'The Daily Grind'. There is one there now, but it's much smaller. The old Daily Grind took up 3x the space they used to take and probably moved in when nobody wanted to be there.

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  7. I'd be happy to see a two-story ethnic market similar to the European sausage shop in Lincoln Square. Everything imported with a HUGE selection of wines, beers and cheeses that do not include NATURAL ICE or any other cheap beers that are frequently purchased (than littered) by our friendly neighborhood drunks.

    If it weren't for the firehouse, that block of Racine could than make a great space for an open-air market or festival in the summer...

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  8. i also thought it would be a great place for a Trader Joes. We need to get our commerce piece put together so we can offer incentives to business to move to this area as opposed to Lincoln Park, etc. We are lacking many services here that we would all use and outsource to other neighborhoods. Unfortunately, we may need a bigger chain rather than a mom and pop for a start. X-sport fitness, Epic Burger, DQ, Running Store, Dog Daycare, real estate agency, even a Sports Authority.

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  9. UptownAction

    I too am sick of seeing Natural ICE littered around town and up in Rogers Park.

    Its really a funny/ironic name for a beer. Its definitely not natural nor is it ICE.

    I think a small upscale food store of some sort would work well there and plus or minus a coffee shop as well.

    I heard that you cant download food so its probably a better business venture at this time.
    Until we have those crazy food making gagdets like the jetsons

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  10. An Italian deli/market like Conte di Savoi in Little Italy...Oh to dream!

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  11. would love an Uptown Athletic Club....Edgewater has a great athletic center with swimming classes for the litle ones.

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  12. That's my favorite idea, Uptown Action. However, I wondered about loading zones for the vendors?

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  13. Big Space for a Pot Belly, but they did do a great job at the andersonville location.

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  14. I'm still hoping for Uncommon Ground :)

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  15. To be brutally honest, a bookstore can't survive with people just 'browsing'. Buying just a cup of coffee and then reading their merchandise at a table "free".

    What do some want, Big Gub'ment to subsidize browsing? Some have to realize not everything is 'free'.

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  16. I could see a World Market doing well here, but they'd probably need to have a deal with a nearby parking lot and set up an effective loading zone operation for customers buying larger items.

    But any kind of full service grocery store in this neck of the woods needs on-site parking. I just don't see how they could get repeat customers otherwise. Are there any examples of this outside of downtown or gold coast?

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  17. Hi, My name is Alison and I'm a broadcast journalism student at Northwestern. Would anyone who has an interest in this Borders closing story be willing to speak with me on the subject?

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  18. awbullock - sure :) i bet a bunch of people would! leave your e-mail address, OR put the request on the UU facebook page!

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  19. Sad, indeed. Sigh.

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  20. Love F&O -- and they don't have parking either, right?

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  21. I said outside of downtown/gold coast.

    But also, Fox & Obel has parking across the street from the store that is free with a $20 purchase.

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  22. I would love to see either a Trader Joe's or an ethnic market of some sort. An athletic center would be ok too, but I would feel bad for that little health club around the corner on Leland. I think there is a parking garage in the back off the building that you can enter from Racine. I assume it's for residents of the building. I wonder if it's full and if not, if some leasing deal could be worked out. Hmmmm. One can dream.....

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  23. Fox & Obel would be great. People are complaining about a $50 dollar haircut and the prices at Fox &Obel are high as well. We have to be willing to support these businesses eventhough pricey or the community can't change. I buy dog food at Soggy Paws eventhough it is more expensive just to support them.

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  24. I agree that an athletic club would ruin BodyFit which has been such an excellent asset to the neighborhood. That's why I'm shooting for a Yoga Studio (Yoga now?!) to take up the top floor of the old Borders! that would be awesome.

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  25. World Market would be a great fit! Their mix of merchandise and low prices would work well for the neighborhood. As mentioned, they'd need to work something out for customer pick-up of large (furniture) purchases, but the vast majority of their sales are cash-n-carry. quietlyconscious, that's an inspired suggestion!

    Fox & Obel is struggling downtown as it is. You're not going to see them investing in a new store in a non-optimal space (no parking). No way, no how.

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  26. Another thought......divide up the space....maybe a coffee shop, and something along the lines of B.A.M. (Broadway Antique Mart)?

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  27. Not sure a larger gym would hurt the other.... They focus on a private trainer client base and might benefit from a larger chain and their clients. Love that gym and the fact they have survived! MOJO is a great place as well.

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  28. What about moving and expanding the Bezazian Library from Ainslie Street to this location. This would make the library a focal point for the neighborhood. There would be a few zoning issues, but those details can alway be worked out.

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  29. I like the idea of breaking up the space. When you lease it as one big spot, the number of potential tenants dries up pretty quick and you're looking at the big box stores primarily.

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  30. Stevew - I believe that is being discussed. The idea of a library is cool - maybe in the triangle portion only, but I would prefer to see a revenue generating business. If this is turned into a library, I believe they are also exempt from property taxes.

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  31. We could use a nice catering/banquet facility around here. Just imagine the socko effect on the groom and guests as the bride and her maids float down that spectacular staircase!

    Certainly the parking situation could be taken care of by a valet service.

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  32. i hated borders with their overpriced books and DVDs. Plus, I applied to work there many times since they opened and they never called me. Glad they are gone!

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  33. @Miss Kitty You are right the space does need to be an income generating piece of property. However if it is not possible to lease the space. I rather see it be used by the public sector than sit empty. There are alway high cost attached to empty property. I think the idea of dividing the space will work the best given the amount of space available in Uptown. Yes the triangle section would be a great location for the Bezazian Library.

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  34. @meg - Just checked back...My e-mail address is awbullock@u.northwestern.edu. I'm heading over to "like" the facebook page now!

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