Leases to fill the former home of Student Book Exchange may be signed by the end of the week and will likely include a popcorn shop.
Gary Poppins, owned by Chicago businessman Gary Seltzer, would join two sandwich shops, Roly Poly and Subway, and a U.S. Cellular on the 1700 block of Sherman Avenue, according to Gordon Magill, trustee manager for Family Properties, which owns the building. Colorado-based Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory had previously been interested in the space.
Gary Poppins would move into the 785-square-foot area closest to Taco Bell. In addition to serving caramel, cheese and butter popcorn, the store would also feature frozen custards. There would be an option of buying popcorn in aluminum cans instead of paper bags.
“Our target clientele are students and we plan to offer group discounts,” Seltzer said.
The store should open by April, Seltzer said.
Family Properties was able to lease the 6,200-square-foot space to four tenants because of the discovery of an additional 1,500 square feet of land by architects during the resurveying this fall.
“I was delighted, to be honest,” Magill said.
Although the property owners are receiving more in rent because they have more space, they did not increase the rate they charge tenants.
“We based our (rent) prices on surveying new store sites and averaging out the costs,” he said.
SBX, which is owned by the Follett Corporation, had been paying rent for a smaller space than it occupied. But Magill asserted there would be no investigation into this discrepancy.
“The Follett Corporation was very fair, kind and generous in their terms when moving out,” he said. “There is no issue on the rent.”
SBX closed on Aug. 8, vacating the property it occupied for 64 years because of the parent company’s shift in focus toward on-campus bookstores, Magill said. Others have speculated that high rental cost was the reason SBX moved out.
The bookstore’s closing surprised many Northwestern professors who had already ordered textbooks for Fall Quarter courses. The store, under numerous owners, had competed with Norris Bookstore for students’ textbook business.
The first business to replace SBX was U.S. Cellular, moving in on Nov. 1 and occupying 2,700 square feet of the Sherman Avenue location.
Also close to signing is a Subway restaurant, which plans to occupy the southern end of the building. Magill admitted there would be some overlap with the Subway franchise located two blocks farther south at 1551 Sherman Ave., but he said Evanston’s increasing population density would support both stores. Subway is aiming to capture the student market with its new store, according to Magill.
Roly Poly, the other sandwich shop, would occupy 1660 square feet of land. The eatery, located near several other Big Ten schools, is famous for its “rolled sandwiches,” or wraps, which have made Roly Poly a fast-growing franchise since its start six years ago.
