CHICAGO | General Developments

[Justin_Chicago]

I disagree that people in Chicago are not fashion savvy. Not everything revolves around the Gold Coast.

We have many emerging fashion designers like Azeeza Khan (Atelier Azza), design incubators like Bridgeport Art Center, fashion e-business models like Trunkclub.com and Threadless, and numerous boutiques in the surrounding neighborhoods (Sir & Madame, Mildblend Supply, Saint Alfred, Zamrie, Kokorokoko, Juggernaut, etc.)

The success and expansion of Belmont Army and Akira should be enough proof that Chicago can support Uniqlo. We are not NYC or Paris, but Steve Alan landed in Bucktown because we have enough professionals that care about how they dress.

If Uniqlo feels Philadelphia is more deserving, then so be it. I will drop my money elsewhere and wander around Ukrainian Village or Pilsen for an outfit that will not be replicated when I visit Los Angeles and show off some Midwest style (http://themidwestyle.com).

Do not forget the push for a Pilsen Textile Incubator. Chicago is not a "black jacket, jeans, and hoodie town".
http://www.wbez.org/series/dynamic-r...riendly-107256

[sentinel]

A few close friends of mine have worked in the fashion industry, one in particular is a friend who worked for Macy's in NYC as a senior buyer and now works in SF for the Gap as a design director (and whom I grew up with in da Chi-burbs), has never said anything about Chicago not being stylish or forward-thinking when it comes to clothing fashion; quite the opposite in her opinion. But one thing she has noticed is that Chicago style is more 'streamlined' as she once put it, and that it's cleaner, simplified and isn't as ostentatious as what's present in LA or even in NYC and Lawd-almighty Dallas. She likened it to being more of a London-type style, heavily dependent on the schizo-weather we have in Chicago. She even mentioned that when she was still living here, she recalled how the Versace boutique in Chicago, which was one of the first to open in the US, closed after a few short years (very late 90s-early 2000s) primarily because the design house couldn't find a market in Chicago that would buy their ultra-sexy, borderline gaudy fashion. Not because it was too expensive, but because it was (at the time) considered to be over-the-top flashy, and a lot of Chicago women and men just weren't into that. I think (unconfirmed) that Versace does once again have a presence here but their philosophy has changed too so maybe there is a market now, who knows. So f*ck Uniqlo.

[i_am_hydrogen]

Chicago hotels fill up to record in 2013

Hotel room occupancy inched higher in Chicago last year, but still hit a new record with a slightly bigger slice of rooms filled than the banner pre-recession mark in 2007.

Hotel occupancy was 75.28 percent last year, according to the mayor’s office and Choose Chicago, the city's tourism and convention agency. That’s just 0.2 percent higher than 2012, but it tops the 2007 record of 75.18 percent.

Hotel room demand rose 2.3 percent from last year, also hitting a record at 9.889 million rooms occupied.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...,3696595.story

[Jibba]

^And that's a higher percentage of a larger number of total rooms, I would imagine.

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by Jibba

^And that's a higher percentage of a larger number of total rooms, I would imagine.

Exactly, several large hotel projects like the Tri-hotel opened this year. Also, I read an article the other day saying that 2,700 hotel rooms have been added in Chicago since 2010 and that there are about 4,000 more planned. The hotel boom doesn't sound so unreasonable if we've already managed to absorb 2,700 rooms on the coattails of the worst recession in 70 years and the occupancy rates are still rising. 4,000 rooms planned doesn't sound so suicidal in that context.

[Via Chicago]

Ive never seen so much hand-wringing over boring, Made In China button downs.

[petey2428]

I would have to respectfully disagree. NYC and SF are a lot more cosmopolitan than Chicago. The majority of people in Chicago moved here from somewhere in the Midwest, at least from what I've seen. I made that comment because Uniqlo is a giant Asian retailer, and it would make more sense for them to open a store in a more cosmopolitan city. Just look at the ethnic breakdown in each city for Asians: SF - 33%, NYC - 7.3%, Chicago - 5.5%. If you want to bring up food, Chicago's food scene is severely lacking in unique Asian food compared to NYC, NJ, and SF.

I like Chicago for its laid back attitude, but Chicago does not have the cosmopolitan energy that NYC and SF have.

Originally Posted by the urban politician

That's not a fact, that's just a stupid comment

[SamInTheLoop]

Not sure if I've ever been this happy about a retailer closing. Horrible, overall corridor traffic-stymieing store, horrible company - Eddie Lampert is a real idiot's idiot - that he could be so vain as to consider himself a merchant, a merchandiser.......the clock's ticking - I give Sears Holdings another year - 18 months at most. A definite shame about all those jobs, but by that point the economy should be in much better condition, and it will be on the whole healthy to get rid of this awful company - for good. No nauseating Marshall Field tears required - just time to move on....

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by killaviews

Block 37 owner switches leasing brokershttp://www.chicagorealestatedaily.co...easing-brokers

Note that Crain's is now saying the AMC movie theater and Xsports is done deal. Is that right?

May not be - today Crain's has an article on two official signed leases - the multifaceted food hall on the third floor - it a done deal for 22,000 sq ft - by chef Richard Sandoval. Also, a restaurant run by the Lawless family I think for the Randolph/Dearborn corner space. Great news. In this article, it's mentioned that CIM Group is still in lease 'negotiations' for the movie theater and gym......hopefully they can get those wrapped up asap. The really need to get the 3rd and 4th floors up and running by '14 holiday season.....

[Via Chicago]

Originally Posted by petey2428

I would have to respectfully disagree. NYC and SF are a lot more cosmopolitan than Chicago. The majority of people in Chicago moved here from somewhere in the Midwest, at least from what I've seen. I made that comment because Uniqlo is a giant Asian retailer, and it would make more sense for them to open a store in a more cosmopolitan city.

yea, and theres no Midwestern transplants in NYC

additionally, almost a quarter of the Chicago population is foreign born immigrants. but i have a suspicion that your angle isnt really about diversity. im not sure where this notion is coming from that Asian population somehow matters, seeing as the target market for Uniqlo is about on par with the Gap...and the clothes look more or less identical.

to this again i say: who cares. do people really need the affirmation of a brand to somehow define their enjoyment of a city or life in general? "damn, cant get boring work shirts at Uniqlo. guess ill have to go to one of the other 1,000 retailers within a 5 mile radius. not sure how im gonna survive"

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by killaviews

Multi-billion dollar international retailers have teams dedicated to researching and selecting potential markets for expansion. I don't think they become mult-billion retailers if their market research team's presentation on Chicago only included Al Capone and Michael Jordon. If they looked at the statistics for Michigan Ave. and the other stores with a presence on Michigan Ave., I think Uniqlo and other foreign retailers would think a store there just might work.

I get Uniqlo's strategy. They want to take one market at a time. I still think its doable here, right now though. They can have a Michigan Ave store, a North and Clyborne store, and a State street store today. And I assume space isn't hard to find in the burbs.

This is certainly true regarding professional market research/market strategy/site selection etc resources that large retailers have....however, it's also true that executive personalities/preconceptions/prejudices/judgment/gut instinct plays as large a role - or even sometimes larger. Eventually I think the data - and quality market assessment - will win, and we'll get multiple Uniqlos in Chicago....

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

Exactly, several large hotel projects like the Tri-hotel opened this year. Also, I read an article the other day saying that 2,700 hotel rooms have been added in Chicago since 2010 and that there are about 4,000 more planned. The hotel boom doesn't sound so unreasonable if we've already managed to absorb 2,700 rooms on the coattails of the worst recession in 70 years and the occupancy rates are still rising. 4,000 rooms planned doesn't sound so suicidal in that context.

to go along with that, rahm is aiming high to fill those 4,000 proposed rooms.


Mayor to hike tourism goal, unveil river-lighting proposal
By Kathy Bergen
Tribune reporter
11:03 a.m. CST, January 22, 2014

Mayor Rahm Emanuel this morning is expected to hike his tourism goal by 10 percent, looking to new projects such as a Chicago Riverwalk lighting program to boost annual visitor numbers to 55 million by 2020.

“This month we are launching an international design competition to light up our city that will start at the river’s banks,” the mayor’s prepared remarks state.

“We are seeing proposals from teams of the greatest artists, architects, engineers and designers in the world to light up our buildings, our parks, our roads and our open spaces.”

source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...,6607773.story

[petey2428]

My whole point was that it would make more sense for an international retailer to open a store in a city where more people have already heard of the brand. Being an Asian retailer, I would assume that out of all the ethnic groups, Asians would be more aware of the brand (fyi, I'm a foreign born Asian immigrant).

I honestly don't care if Uniqlo opens a store here. They are known more for their cheap basics (keyword here is cheap), so it's not something people would see anyway. An observation is not the same as an affirmation. People get so upset when someone points out that Chicago is more Midwestern than cosmopolitan, and apparently that's a bad thing?

Originally Posted by Via Chicago

yea, and theres no Midwestern transplants in NYC

additionally, almost a quarter of the Chicago population is foreign born immigrants. but i have a suspicion that your angle isnt really about diversity. im not sure where this notion is coming from that Asian population somehow matters, seeing as the target market for Uniqlo is about on par with the Gap...and the clothes look more or less identical.

to this again i say: who cares. do people really need the affirmation of a brand to somehow define their enjoyment of a city or life in general? "damn, cant get boring work shirts at Uniqlo. guess ill have to go to one of the other 1,000 retailers within a 5 mile radius. not sure how im gonna survive"

[Rizzo]

Originally Posted by Via Chicago

Ive never seen so much hand-wringing over boring, Made In China button downs.

Hand-wringing in general. The Chicago threads have gone from concise construction updates and news of good substance to sidebar commentary and pointless arguments versus relevant discussion and debates. I guess people are happy with that, but I've personally lost a lot of interest.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by petey2428

People get so upset when someone points out that Chicago is more Midwestern than cosmopolitan, and apparently that's a bad thing?

it's not a good thing or a bad thing. it's an opinion. some will agree with your opinion, others will disagree with it, but as there is no agreed upon unified metric to measure "midwesterness" vs. "cosmopolitanism" (and i would even argue that the two aren't mutually exclusive to begin with!), it is a discussion that will forever solidly remain in the land of the subjective.

having been a moderator of this forum for over a decade now, i have seen where this particular (and silly) debate ultimately goes dozens of times before. i can guarantee that you it ends with neither side coming anywhere remotely close to persuading the other side to their point of view on the matter.

two choices present themselves:

1. uselessly argue around each other in endless circles.

2. go back to discussing new developments in chicago.


______________________________________________________

EDIT:

+1,000,000,000 to hayward's comment above.

[Pilton]

^ Dan, I hope the new lighting proposal starting with the banks and buildings along the Chicago River comes to fruition. It could be a spectacular addition. Great news, IMO.

[wierdaaron]

As I eluded to in the Highrise thread, I think back and forth style arguments about what Chicago is or isn't, as well as lengthy architectural critiques, should go in city discussion threads. A good-faith effort should be made to keep the building/development threads streamlined with news and relevant discussion in order to not bore the lurkers, who (perhaps greatly) outnumber the posters in these threads.

[wierdaaron]

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

May not be - today Crain's has an article on two official signed leases - the multifaceted food hall on the third floor - it a done deal for 22,000 sq ft - by chef Richard Sandoval. Also, a restaurant run by the Lawless family I think for the Randolph/Dearborn corner space. Great news. In this article, it's mentioned that CIM Group is still in lease 'negotiations' for the movie theater and gym......hopefully they can get those wrapped up asap. The really need to get the 3rd and 4th floors up and running by '14 holiday season.....

Gage owner, celebrity chef cooking up plans for Block 37

The Block 37 mall has landed two tenants to serve up something in short supply at the Loop mall: food.

Los Angeles-based CIM Group, Block 37's owner, confirmed it has leased space there to a group led by Chicago's Lawless family, which is behind the popular downtown restaurants the Gage and Henri, and the dining company led by Richard Sandoval, a celebrity chef known for his innovative Latin cuisine.

Both leases stand out as the first significant deals at the downtown mall since the property opened under a different landlord in 2009.

Lawless is leasing ground floor space with streetfront access (possibly the Puma store?), Sandoval is leasing in the third floor hypothetical food court.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

to go along with that, rahm is aiming high to fill those 4,000 proposed rooms.


Mayor to hike tourism goal, unveil river-lighting proposal
By Kathy Bergen
Tribune reporter
11:03 a.m. CST, January 22, 2014

Mayor Rahm Emanuel this morning is expected to hike his tourism goal by 10 percent, looking to new projects such as a Chicago Riverwalk lighting program to boost annual visitor numbers to 55 million by 2020.

“This month we are launching an international design competition to light up our city that will start at the river’s banks,” the mayor’s prepared remarks state.

“We are seeing proposals from teams of the greatest artists, architects, engineers and designers in the world to light up our buildings, our parks, our roads and our open spaces.”

source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...,6607773.story

^ And yet another one is in the works!

According to Crains (sorry, didn't grab the link), plans are underway to replace the 740 N Rush Giordano's building into a hotel.

[the urban politician]

^ Here it is:

More hotel rooms coming to Mag Mile market
By: Alby Gallun January 22, 2014

About seven months after finishing one big downtown hotel development, Albert Friedman and White Lodging Services Corp. are tag-teaming on another one just off North Michigan Avenue.


A joint venture between Mr. Friedman, one of the biggest landlords in River North, and Merrillville, Ind.-based White Lodging has agreed to buy the building at 740 N. Rush St., best known for the popular Giordano's restaurant on its ground floor, according to people familiar with the transaction.


The venture plans a hotel on the property, though neither Mr. Friedman or White Lodging would discuss the proposed project, which would be across the street from the Peninsula Hotel.