High taxes deter some retailers from moving into Uptown

High property taxes and correspondingly high rents deter many smaller retailers from setting up shop in Uptown and other Chicago neighborhoods, says Joyce Dugan, president and CEO of Uptown United, a not-for-profit coalition of community groups promoting economic development and addressing quality-of-life issues.

Although Uptown is showing signs of improved retail, the neighborhood still lacks some some basic amenities, Dugan says. Over the years, the expansion of the suburban shopping mall, Old Orchard, and the popularity of large retailers such as Costco, have made it harder for independent retailers to survive in Uptown, she says.

“People say, ‘we want a bread shop, we want a bread shop,’ and I say, ‘you have to understand that you’ll have to shop there two times a week. You can’t just shop there twice a month and think the guy is going to stay in business,'” she says.

Revitalization of the neighborhood’s retail hasn’t moved as fast as she’d like, but Dugan says she thinks it’s “finally getting stabilized,” citing the relative newcomer, Marigold Indian Restaurant, 4836 N Broadway St, as evidence. The arrival of the theater company, Annoyance Productions, at 4840 N Broadway last summer is helping to establish the neighborhood as an entertainment precinct, she says. More on that in a later post.

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