Tuesday, August 1, 2023 | View in browser
July, 2023
The Economic Development Division compiles a Monthly Progress Report to deliver timely Evanston area business news and initiatives, economic indicators, and relevant resources.
Top Stories
City Hosts Two Minimum Wage Town Halls
In July, the City hosted two town hall meetings, one virtual and one in person, to solicit feedback from businesses regarding Councilmember Reid’s referral to increase the minimum wage from $13.00 to $16.00 per hour and eliminate the sub-minimum wage for tipped employees. The discussion focused on key components of the ordinance and information presented from One Fair Wage.
For those unable to attend the meetings, you can view the recording of the virtual meeting and submit feedback through the online survey.
Key Data
Comparison of Evanston unemployment by percentage for the last three months.
Unemployment rate (June): 3.9 percent
New businesses openings (June): 10 in 2023 compared to 3 in 2022
Downtown Vacancy rates: Office,11.5 percent. Retail,13.03 percent
Sales Tax collected (June): $1,912,904.70
Recent commercial property transactions: Three commercial sales in June totaling $51,620,000 and generating $449,330 in Real Estate Transfer Tax.
Putting the Numbers into Context
Evanston's vacancy rates continued to decrease to pre-pandemic levels. Economic Development staff continue to monitor office vacancies as the return to is occuring at a slow pace, and its impact on upcoming lease renewals is potentially concerning. Unemployment rates continue to trend better than the Chicago region, Illinois, and national rates.
Welcome, New Businesses!
C&W Ice Cream Parlor
Congratulations to Clarence and Wendy Weaver on the opening of C&W Ice Cream Parlor last month! Located at 1903 Church St., the shop is an expansion of C&W Market, which the Weavers opened in 2014. Make sure to pay them a visit! The Weavers recently purchased the entire property and are planning on a number of improvements.
New businesses opened in June, 2023
Get to Know....
The Custer Oasis!
Summer is in full swing, and what better way to make the most of it than dining al fresco?! Named one of the best dining patios in Evanston, the Custer Oasis, located on Custer just south of Main St., offers residents and visitors the perfect spot to gather outside. With table service from La Principal, The Wine Goddess, and Trattoria D.O.C., patrons have lots of dining options - from tacos to pasta to just drinking frosė all day. To make it even more enticing, live music and special events are offered on Sundays.
Hours vary by restaurant. La Principal has open table service Tuesday through Friday from 5 to 9 p.m., and all day Saturday and Sunday, The Wine Goddess has open table service Thursday through Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m. and Trattoria D.O.C takes reservations through their website for Friday through Sunday from 4:30 to 9 p.m. The Oasis will be running through September, weather permitting.
Make the most of these summer days and make plans to stop by the Oasis!
City Initiatives
 Plan for the ban, bring your own bag!
Earlier this year, the City council voted to approve a complete ban on plastic bags in all city businesses and impose a $0.10 tax on remaining bag types at large retail stores. This “Retail Single Use Bag Tax,” which goes into effect August 1, 2023, will help reduce plastic waste and encourage behavioral change throughout the city.
BYOBag! While the ban part of the ordinance is only expected to affect what types of bags consumers have access to at stores, all community members are encouraged to bring their own reusable bags when they shop. Learn more about this ordinance.
Sustain Evanston Grant Program Applications Open!
The City has launched its reimagined Sustain Evanston Business Incentive Program! The program provides a funding tool to assist small business and commercial property owners in implementing sustainability measures that align with the goals of the City's Climate Action & Resilience Plan (CARP).
Grants of up to $25,000 will support sustainability-related projects, including, but not limited to waste management, energy, water, and green infrastructure. Applications will be open through August 31. Apply today!
Legacy Business Program
The City of Evanston’s new Legacy Business Alliance program is designed to celebrate, advocate for, and retain Evanston’s living heritage as embodied through the legendary businesses which contribute significantly to the City’s historic, cultural, economic, or social identity.
Next steps? The Legacy Business Working Group is working with Evanston-based brand studio, Glantz, to help develop a unique, customized logo and website for the program. Evanston has hundreds of legacy businesses. The working group has selected 32 to pilot this important new program. The pilot list is available on the Legacy Business Program website. Watch for profiles and video interviews featured on the new website and in our newsletters. Stay tuned!
 Saville Flowers & Gifts - One of Evanston’s Legacy Businesses
Meet Mark Jones, owner of Saville Flowers!
Meet one of our Legacy Business owners Mark Jones of Saville Flowers & Gifts, located at 1714 Sherman Ave. and established in 1942. Watch our video interview to learn more about him and the business- then stop by and visit them for all your flower and plant needs!
Economic Development Committee
In case you missed it, here’s what happened at the July 26, 2023, Economic Development Committee:
Items Approved
- Funding for Chicago’s North Shore Convention and Visitors Bureau FY 2024 - the Economic Development Committee approved $69,674 in funding for the City of Evanston’s CVB membership for July, 2023, through June, 2024. The CVB engages in a wide range of activities that generate visitors to Evanston, who will likely stay at hotels, dine, and shop.
Evanston is the founding member (1997) of the CVB and is one of nine communities benefiting from the services the CVB provides. The CVB's website featuring Evanston events and attractions is https://www.visitchicagonorthshore.com/. Their mission is to strengthen the positive awareness of Evanston by marketing our community as a business, meeting, event, and visitor destination. In addition to Evanston, the CVB now represents other "North Shore'' communities, including Wilmette, Glenview, Winnetka, Wheeling, Prospect Heights, Northbrook, Skokie, Glencoe, and Northfield.
Items Discussed
- Economic Development Manager Paul Zalmezak and Parks and Recreation Director Audrey Thompson outlined their new strategy for bringing an elevated food service program to City facilities, including the Arrington Lagoon Picnic Shelter, Clark Street Beach House, James Park, Robert Crown, and Fleetwood-Jourdain. They recommended hiring a new staff person to manage the program, who would work closely with local food service establishments and implement a workforce training program. Committee members expressed their support and enthusiasm for this approach. The next step? This request will be going to the City Council for approval August 28, 2023.
- The Business District Foot Traffic / Recovery Update - Economic Development Intern, Elena Hubert, gave a brief presentation on the recovery status of each business district, including year over year growth in visitors, number of visits, and average dwell time. Included for each district is a heatmap of the most frequented locations. The committee has asked for additional information using the Placer.ai data to be presented at future meetings.
- The Committee members discussed the scoring mechanism for the Evanston Thrives recommendations to determine funding/implementation priorities. This input will guide the Economic Development Division’s goals and priorities over the next couple of years. The committee will discuss the scoring results at their next meeting on Wednesday, August 30, 2023.
Watch the Economic Development Committee Video.
Coming up
The next Economic Development Committee Meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 30, 2023, at 6 p.m. The meeting agenda will be posted on the web page 48 hours prior to the meeting.
Contact Us
Got questions? We want to hear from you! The Economic Development Division is available to connect with you to discuss new businesses, grants and other resources to help you expand your business, business district activities, community outreach events, and any new ideas you may have to improve Evanston’s business environment. We would also like to hear from you about features you would like to see in this monthly report, including data analyses and business features/interviews.
Visit our website to learn more about business support grants and programs and to register your business.
Feel free to contact us directly.
Paul Zalmezak, Economic Development Manager, 847.448.8013
Katie Boden, Economic Development Specialist, 847.448.8132
Neal Reeves, Economic Development Specialist, 847.859.7833
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