Why retailers want what Chicago has
Good afternoon, Chicago. ✶
In today's newsletter, we're taking a look at Chicago's retail landscape, which is — in certain neighborhoods — experiencing strong shopper demand.
Plus, we've got reporting on how one suburban man's bone marrow donation saved a New York teen's life, a new co-op grocery coming to Uptown and more community news you need to know below. ????
⏱️: A 7-minute read
— Matt Moore, newsletter reporter (@MattKenMoore)
TODAY’S TOP STORY
Popular brands like Baggu say strong shopper demand has them setting up shop in Chicago
Reporting by Layla Brown-Clark
Retail rebound?: Stores like makeup and skincare brand Glossier, streetwear label BAPE and jewelry store Studs, along with next month’s opening of reusable bag company BAGGU’s Wicker Park location, are hopeful signs for Chicago’s retail market, which is still on the mend from the pandemic.
Why businesses are coming: A number of Fortune 500 companies, such as United Airlines and McDonald’s, have Chicago headquarters, not to mention our concentration of high-income households. The city’s growing economy, accessibility and diverse workforce — with graduates from elite schools such as the University of Chicago and Northwestern — are also attracting businesses for relocation, expansion or launch.
Growth hot spots: Certain affluent neighborhoods drive growth through foot traffic. The Magnificent Mile, Gold Coast and the West Loop especially continue to attract fashion retailers.
Reality check: According to real estate research firm CoStar, the city's retail vacancy rate is 4.8%, with asking rents growing by 0.7% in the third quarter. The market’s growth will hinge on new construction activity.
Suburban competition: CoStar reports that demand for retail space continues to shift toward suburban and urban residential areas. Pop superstar Rihanna’s lingerie brand, Savage X Fenty, opened its first Illinois location at Orland Square Mall in Orland Park this summer. Meanwhile, the Fashion Outlets of Chicago in Rosemont has added a number of retailers, including the first Midwest outpost of luxury brand Alexander McQueen.
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
- Suburban man saves a life: St. Charles resident Nicholas Miranda-Newberry, 26, says he's always wanted to help people. Then the opportunity to be a bone marrow donor arose. A few weeks ago, he got to meet 18-year-old New Yorker Elijah John, a leukemia survivor whose life was saved by Miranda-Newberry's donation.
- New co-op grocer: The member-owned grocery store Chicago Market is preparing for construction in Uptown. It expects to open next year in the historic Gerber Building, formerly the CTA’s Wilson station.
- Chicago Climate Tech Week returns: About 3,000 people are expected to attend the second annual conference, which will run Sept. 16-20. The event showcases clean energy and sustainable innovations through panels, expos and more.
- Bears fans react: After Sunday's season opener, Chicago football fans expressed a range of feelings, from optimism to frustrations. "[I'm] prepared for the worst but hoping for the best," is how one fan put it.
- 3 stars for Royko play: While "Royko: The Toughest Man in Chicago" loses focus when covering the iconic columnist's later years, actor-writer Mitchell Bisschop’s one-man show nails the biting one-liners and compelling storytelling of Mike Royko’s glory days, writes Jack Helbig in a review for the Sun-Times.
SUN-TIMES STAFF SUGGESTS ????♀️
Find your flow at Zen Yoga Garage
Today's Sun-Times staff suggestion comes from audience engagement specialist Katie Anthony, who also works on our Morning Edition newsletter.
Katie recommends Zen Yoga Garage in Bucktown for your next yoga session.
Classes for everyone: "Experienced and helpful instructors offer all levels of yoga — from beginner to advanced — as well as other group fitness classes that include barre, weighted classes, mat pilates and classes for parents and their kids," Katie tells me.
Katie's choice: "I particularly love their Power Flow class, a mix of traditional yoga with bursts of cardio mixed in."
One with the elements: "Before it was a fitness studio, the space was a car wash and still has giant garage doors that instructors open during Chicago’s beautiful summer and fall days," Katie says. "In the winter, the doors act as giant windows, pouring sunlight into the heated studios to help participants escape from the bitter cold."
Virtual options: "The studio offers classes in person and via Zoom or livestream, so anyone can access them," Katie says. "They also have a variety of pricing options and free community classes available."
Bottom line: "Out of all the yoga studios and group fitness classes I’ve tried in Chicago, Zen Yoga Garage is the one that feels most like a community, rather than just a business."
????Zen Yoga Garage, 1845 N. Milwaukee Ave.
BRIGHT ONE ✨
Printers Row Lit Fest is ‘like a family reunion’ for authors and book fans
Reporting by Violet Miller
Thousands of book lovers converged at the 39th annual Printers Row Lit Fest last weekend, buying books and engaging with their favorite writers while authors exchanged ideas and reconnected.
Friends and poets Natalie Staples and Kira Tucker already had several books in hand coming into the festival Saturday. They had come to meet their "Britney Spears," former National Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy K. Smith.
Staples, who teaches at the Chicago Academy for the Arts in West Town, uses Smith’s "Wade In the Water" for some of her classes — and now has a signed copy to do so. Tucker said the festival also served as a meeting ground for writers of all levels, and in turn, a place to bounce ideas off each other and take inspiration from each other’s work.
Jenine Snyder and partner John Pollard strolled through the festival with Snyder’s sister and nephews. She said it’s easy to find what she’s looking for when surrounded by literature and the people who create it.
"I feel like you find books you wouldn’t otherwise just by chatting with the authors," Snyder said.
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
Where is your favorite view of the Chicago skyline? Tell us why.
For me, it's Ping Tom Memorial Park in Chinatown.
No matter how many times I've been there, the view from the concrete steps on the river takes my breath away. You've got the rusted railroad bridge drawn to your left, the red pedestrian bridge snaking to your right and the beautiful skyline gleaming at the center. There's nothing like it!
Email us (please include your first and last name). To see the answers to this question, check our Morning Edition newsletter. Not subscribed to Morning Edition? Sign up here so you won’t miss a thing!
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Written by: Matt Moore
Editor: Esther Bergdahl
Copy editor: Angie Myers