In its second year, the Evanston Legacy Business Alliance has 51 members. As the city evolves, one constant is the significance of local businesses in the city — small businesses that have helped shape the city’s cultural and economic identity hold the distinction of being a part of the Alliance, according to the organization’s website.

Created by the Evanston Preservation Commission in 2023, the Legacy Business Alliance recognizes and supports local businesses that have been part of the city for more than 20 years and have become essential to the community’s character. 

The organization was established in 2023 after being proposed by Ald. Clare Kelly (1st) and now-Preservation Committee Chair Carl Klein, who was a member of the committee at the time.

Once in the Alliance, businesses join a network that strengthens Evanston’s economy through mentorship, support and community connection. This ensures the city’s legacy businesses continue to thrive. 

Founded in 1895, Lemoi Ace Hardware is one of Evanston’s oldest establishments. Owner Ralph Lemoi-Dupuis inherited the business from his grandfather, and the company has remained in the Dupuis family for its entire 130-year existence. 

Lemoi-Dupuis emphasized that small businesses are uniquely positioned to give back to their community. These businesses have a long-term presence and deep local roots that can’t be found at newer storefronts. Unlike larger retailers, smaller businesses have the flexibility to stock niche or in-demand items quickly. 

“We’ve sold a crap load of whistles the last two weeks thanks to ICE,” Dupuis said. “We got the loud ones. When you’re a small business, you got to strike when the iron’s hot.”

Although the Legacy Business Alliance generally recognizes businesses with more than 20 years of operation, Bookends & Beginnings — founded in 2014 — is a member of the organization for its connection to Bookman’s Alley, the longtime antiquarian bookstore that had been a fixture off Sherman Avenue for decades.

Bookends and Beginnings founder Nina Barrett (Medill ’87) first discovered Bookman’s Alley as a student at Northwestern.

“Being a journalism student who needed to turn in stories for Medill, I found my way down the alley, and I wrote a story about that bookstore,” Barrett said.

Decades later, after becoming a published author and working part-time in independent bookstores, Barrett learned that Bookman’s Alley was closing at the end of 2013. She said she was determined to keep a bookstore in the same beloved space, so she opened Bookends & Beginnings in the spring of 2014.

However, when the alley property was sold and rent more than doubled, Bookends & Beginnings faced the threat of closure, Barrett said. Through support from the Legacy Business Alliance and the Evanston community, the bookstore successfully navigated negotiations with its landlord.

“We sought help (from the Legacy Business Alliance) in a negotiation with (the landlord) that went on for months,” Barrett said. “I think the negotiation process helped raise a lot of consciousness that we can’t take the survival of small businesses here for granted.”

Barrett ultimately relocated the bookstore to Orrington Avenue and said she is happy that the store has continued serving the Evanston community.

Blind Faith Cafe is another decades-old Evanston storefront and member of the Alliance. Upon its founding in 1979, Blind Faith was initially a self-service diner that could seat only 40 guests. In 1985, the restaurant moved to its current, larger space on Dempster Street and transitioned into a full-serve establishment.

“We do all our own bread and pastry. We do all our own sauces and soups, everything. It’s made from scratch. I think it’s just good fresh food, and people appreciate that at a reasonable price. It’s a polished, casual concept,” David Lipschutz, the cafe’s owner, said.

Blind Faith Cafe is unique in that it serves exclusively vegetarian fare. While markets for vegetarian and vegan cuisine have seen significant growth over the past few decades, this concept was practically unheard of in 1979.

Lipschutz credits Blind Faith’s success to the Evanston community. Lipschutz gives back to this community, primarily hiring NU students and Evanston residents.

The Legacy Business Alliance emphasizes the ongoing importance of supporting small businesses, despite residents’ access to large department stores and online retailers.

“I do just think it’s important that people continue to question this idea of ease and convenience, and pay full attention to what the consequences of those things are down the line, and what the advantages are to having these (local) businesses, a brick and mortar business in your downtown,” Barrett said.

Email: [email protected] 

Email: [email protected]

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— Evanston plans to launch Legacy Business Program this spring

— ‘A dream come true’: Bookends & Beginnings opens new doors

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