CrumbCrusher Cupcakes selected for Illinois Made Program
CrumbCrusher Cupcakes, 805 South Blvd. in the Hemingway District, is one of 20 new small businesses selected by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) Office of Tourism’s Illinois Made program, which highlights authentic products and one-of-a-kind experiences that reflect the best of Illinois’ craftsmanship and culture. Please join the Village in congratulating owner Chelsea Goolsby-Eberhart on this incredible accomplishment! For a list of businesses included in the Illinois Made program, click here. We plan to feature more of the amazing bakeries that call Oak Park home in a future Pick Oak Park Report, including information on a new addition yet to come called Three Folds… stay tuned!
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Welcome Mission Curiosity Bookstore!
The Mission Curiosity Bookstore recently celebrated its grand opening at 319 Madison St., in the Madison Street Business Corridor. The bookstore is an extension of Our Future Reads, a non-profit organization that empowers readers by providing access to literature in the Chicagoland area. Every purchase at the Mission Curiosity Bookstore funds book donations to 15 non-profit organizations. In attendance, along with various Oak Park River Forest Chamber of Commerce staff and members, were Village staff representatives Cameron Davis, Noemy Diaz, Dawn Skoda, Danny Vargas and Nick Meier. Congratulations to this wonderful new business and welcome to the Oak Park community.
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June's scoop - The Book Loft to take over a portion of the former The Book Table space
The Book Loft, a new independently-owned book store headed by local residents, will be opening at 1047 Lake St. This location is the original space occupied by The Book Table, a long-time successful retail book operation in Oak Park. More information is to come about this exciting new addition to the DTOP business district.
The Book Loft will join several other independently-owned book stores in Oak Park including Dandelion Bookshop at 139 S. Oak Park Ave. in the Hemingway business district, The Looking Glass Bookshop at 823 S. Oak Park Ave. in the Southtown business district and the new Mission Curiosity Bookstore at 319 Madison St., in the Madison Street business corridor. Oak Park is proud to be home to an ever-increasing number of independently-owned book stores.
Sculpture Walk graces the DTOP and Arts business districts
With the arrival of warmer weather comes 17 new one-of-a-kind sculptures that are now on display throughout Downtown Oak Park and the Oak Park Arts business districts. This beloved tradition has helped bring public art to Oak Park streets for over 12 years and showcases the imagination and creativity that thrives within our local community. The new sculptures will be up for an entire year, allowing for the opportunity to view all and then revisit favorites while exploring the vibrant shops, restaurants and offices in both districts. For more information, including a full list of sculptures and the artists who created them, please click here.
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A note from Cameron Davis, on his retirement from the Village:
For over seven years, I have worked out of what is now called the Development Services Department, assisting new and existing Oak Park businesses. After over 37 years of total and continuous public service at seven different local government entities, I am leaving the Village to begin my retirement. It has been my absolute privilege to work with the local business district associations, the Chamber of Commerce and over 1,800 local businesses. The entrepreneurial owners and operators of Oak Park businesses are a big part of the strong foundation that this community has been built on. When looking for items to purchase or services to secure, please consider your opportunities in Oak Park first! Thank you to everyone, especially Kathy, Bella, Tammie, Emily and Craig. I have had the very good fortune to work with so many wonderful people in this and other communities. I wish you all good fortune, health and happiness, going forward.
I am happy to relate that Village staff member Noemy Diaz will be overseeing business services and assisting Oak Park businesses in need of assistance with permits, licensing and grants. Ms. Diaz has been a valued Village staff member for many years and she knows the important role that businesses play in this community. Noemy is pictured on the right at the recent Meineke Car Care Center grand opening at 845 Madison St. in the Madison Street Business Corridor. Also pictured with Ms. Diaz is Cameron Davis (l) and Meineke representative Greg Faulkner (c). Business owners and operators should reach out to Noemy if she can ever be of assistance to you at Noemy.Diaz@oak.park.us. I wish Noemy great success!
Cameron Davis
retired
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New Gyumon Japanese BBQ restaurant is near completion
A beautiful new façade now graces the home of the future Gyumon Japanese BBQ restaurant at 118 N. Marion St. In addition to the new façade, considerable progress has been made toward completing the massive interior renovations that are currently ongoing. Photos here show the new exterior and the new bar/eating area inside. Set to open in 2025, this all-you-can-eat restaurant will feature a selection of meats and vegetables for customers to roast on table cook tops, with Japanese sauces available for dipping. This restaurant, an important addition to the DTOP business district, is going to be a unique, wonderful edition to the Oak Park business community.
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Oak Park is home to growing and expanding businesses
One of the many signs that Oak Park is economically vibrant is that existing, well-established businesses have made decisions to re-invest in our community through expansion.
Mosaic Counseling and Wellness opened in Oak Park in 2023 at 215 Harrison St., after investing in a long-vacant commercial building. In addition to providing increased mental health services for Oak Park residents and their families, the impact of this business bringing additional potential customers into the Arts Business District has been amazing. Strong demand for services has led to a planned second location at 810 North Blvd., the former home of Trends in the Hemingway District. Pictured, in front of the forthcoming second Mosaic Oak Park location, is owner Carey Carlock (r) and Kyla Gilmore (l), Clinical Director/Therapist. Thank you to Mosaic for investing and now re-investing in another location.
Murphy Dental Group has opened its new and expanded location at 100 S. Kenilworth Ave. This beautiful, new location in the Hemingway Business District was formerly a dry-cleaning operation. Murphy Dental Group purchased the property and built a substantial addition to the former building while adding a beautiful new façade. This larger and updated space will help Murphy Dental in continuing to serve its local clients. Thank you to Murphy Dental Group for re-investing in our community and for creating a beautiful, re-envisioned commercial space at the southeast corner of South Boulevard and Kenilworth Avenue.
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 Taco Pros recently opened its second Oak Park restaurant location at 6427 North Ave. This restaurant chain started in 2019 with a small space on the northwest corner of Chicago Avenue and Austin Boulevard. The original restaurant location is still in operation but has been joined by the new and larger second Oak Park location on North Avenue. Inspired by the gastronomic art of Mexico, Taco Pros aims to transport the eater to the flavors of Mexican Tianguis (market) street foods. Now owners Victor, Cesar and Bhagyesh have expanded Taco Pros to multiple locations, but their original idea for this restaurant chain will always have started in Oak Park where they continue to re-invest and prosper. Thank you, Taco Pros!
Pure Green open and operating in the Hemingway Business District
Pure Green, a rapidly expanding wellness business, has joined the Oak Park community at 703 Lake St. The store offers a juice bar with smoothies, wellness shots and cold pressed juices. Pure Green has been rated as one of America’s hottest fast casual businesses with over 100+ locations open or in development in approximately 25 states. In Illinois, Pure Green has eight Chicago locations including neighborhoods like Fulton Market, Gold Coast and Lincoln Park. Elsewhere in the region, Pure Green is only located in Oak Park and South Barrington. The Oak Park location, a former nail salon, is owned and operated by Anthony Ward and family. Pictured in the center, along with two Oak Park team members is Mr. Ward. Mr. Ward and his wife originally met in the Oak Park area, one of the reasons they have invested here as a franchisee of Pure Green. Welcome to Oak Park!
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New owner for Lively Athletics
Lively Athletics is an Oak Park retail treasure at 109 N. Oak Park Ave. in the Hemingway Business District. Longtime store owner Anne Pezalla recently announced that Christina McKittrick has purchased this wonderful establishment. The Village offers both our thanks to Anne for her past ownership and operation of the store, and well wishes to Christina McKittrick as she takes on this new opportunity.
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Roosevelt Road Business Corridor Study Public Meeting
A conversation with Development Services Director Craig Failor
We sat down with the Village’s Development Services Director, Craig Failor, who shared the past, present, and future of the current Roosevelt Road Corridor Study with us.
This is the second time a corridor study is being done on Roosevelt Road. What can you tell us about the history of this study?
The current study is an update to one that was completed in 2005 in collaboration with the City of Berwyn, with funding assistance from the Illinois Tomorrow Grant. The goal of the original 2005 study was a unification between the three municipalities for things like streetscaping and zoning that affected all 3 communities, including the town of Cicero, sharing space on Roosevelt Road. Now that the study is 20 years old, the resulting data needs an update in order to better serve businesses, residents, and visitors. Roosevelt Road was actually the first business district to ever get a corridor study of this nature!
Why are corridor studies important to a community?
A business corridor study like this one can give the district and residents an understanding of how the corridor can develop over time and what changes they can expect to see implemented in the future. It shows the intent of bolstering economic vitality in the area, and makes it clear that the Village is in support of its local businesses and the districts they are within.
How do you collect data for a corridor study and what do you hope to accomplish with the results?
Results of a business corridor study are collected through things like focus groups, community workshops, and online surveys. For this particular study, the Lakota Group has been hired to assist, and a Steering Committee has also been established. The data collected will provide a roadmap for improvements along the Roosevelt Road Business Corridor, including economic vitality efforts and potential rezoning.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
There will be a public meeting for this business corridor study from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, July 9 at Salerno's, 7128 Roosevelt Rd. We encourage interested individuals to attend and to offer their ideas. Considerable additional public engagement will occur to the benefit of this study. The Village has made sure to include a wide variety of people in our focus groups with representatives from local businesses, residents, and various Village entities. The aim is to make this study as inclusive as possible.
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