Seven empty storefronts line the block of Orrington Avenue between Davis and Church streets.
Evanston has seen an increase in vacant storefronts in recent months “because of the recession we’ve been in,” said Morris Robinson, the city’s economic development planner.
“We are making every effort we can to bring in sustainable businesses,” he said.
Certain spaces in the city have remained unused for extended periods of time.
Uncle Dan’s Great Outdoor Store’s old location, 700 Church St., has not been replaced since the store moved to 901 Church St. last fall. The space formerly occupied by Dr. Wax, 1615 Sherman Ave., has remained empty since the record store went out of business around the same time. Barnes and Noble’s old location, 1701 Sherman Ave., has been vacant since August 2006, when the store moved across the street to 1630 Sherman Ave.
Robinson said the city is employing several tactics, including incentive programs and outreach initiatives, to inspire business owners to take root in Evanston’s empty storefronts.
“We don’t like vacant storefronts any more than anyone else does,” Robinson said. “We need these businesses. We do not sit on our hands.”
Some new businesses have emerged, despite the stormy economic times. Evanston city representatives, including Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl, took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Ultimate Chicken Bar’s grand opening Nov. 13. Buffalo Wild Wings, 1741 Maple Ave., celebrated its grand opening Sunday.
Ultimate Chicken Bar Manager Mark Miller said the business had some challenges after opening about a month ago, but has since seen improvements.
“The first couple of weeks were actually pretty hard because we were still training our employees,” Miller said.
He said one of the biggest challenges he had faced was getting people to take notice of the new restaurant and to make them aware of menu offerings.
“It is pretty hard,” Miller said. “The hardest part so far has been trying to get people to notice there’s a new restaurant here.”
A chicken mascot named Cooper and free teriyaki samples are some of the methods Miller said he employed recently to spread awareness of the chicken bar.
Empty storefronts, in large and concentrated numbers, can be a security risk, Cmdr. Tom Guenther of the Evanston Police Department said.
“It could pose problems, so you obviously want to have your retail alive, up and running,” Guenther said. “If you have empty properties it could lead to people loitering more in certain areas, especially if that continues in a concentrated area.”
He said Evanston’s current situation should not present any additional risks, since the empty stores are solitary and spread out.
“If its a strip mall, and a bunch of locations are vacant, then we would adjust our strategies to circumvent any criminal activity that could arise there,” Guenther said. “We as a department have not seen an uptick in crime in relation to storefronts being vacant during merchant transitions.”[email protected]
