JEFFERSON PARK -- Jefferson Park's once-lively Lawrence Avenue shopping area has been marked by empty storefronts and "for lease" signs in recent years. But the corridor has been undergoing a quiet resurgence in recent months -- a turnaround business owners hope can last.
In a little over half a year, five businesses have opened along Lawrence Avenue between Austin and Major avenues: El Milagrito Meat And Produce Market, A Taste of the Philippines, Vito's Vault dinner theater, Sunny Village Kids Cafe and Plot Twist Used Books. The Brigadoon, 5748 W. Lawrence Ave., also reopened last summer as The Brig.
"There's a lot of windows that have been covered up with brown paper. That means people are getting ready," said Kathy Vega Hardy, owner of A Taste of the Philipines. "I'm excited to see what happens here in the next year."
Many of the new business owners live in the neighborhood and said they were drawn to Lawrence Avenue because of the area's walkability and family-friendly ambiance.
Chris Meyer has been working to bring more business to the area aince opening Catalina Plant Co. in 2021 at 5920 W. Lawrence Ave. Aside from Printer's Row Brewing, which also opened in 2021, and a few neighborhood mainstays like Delightful Pastries and Sandy's Bakery and Deli, the area was largely dead three years ago, Meyer said.
"It's always good for businesses to have other, complementing businesses nearby," Meyer said. "I want to see this whole area really take off."
Meyer helped Hardy find a location for A Taste of the Philippines after meeting her at the Jefferson Park Sunday Market. Penny Holland, owner of Plot Twist Used Books, was a regular at Catalina Plant Co.
With proximity to amenities like O'Hare Airport, public transit, strong schools, Downtown and the suburbs, Jefferson Park is full of potential, Meyer said.
Meyer envisions branding the Lawrence Avenue shopping district as "Jeff West" and creating the Northwest Side's version of the Lincoln Square shopping area.
"I feel like this block is starting to get livelier, and I'm really happy to be here in the beginning parts of the turnaround," Hardy said.
Dobra Bielinski's Lawrence Avenue block was lined with businesses and parking was hard to come by when she opened Delightful Pastries in 1998.
The neighborhood had a large Polish population then, and neighbors would frequent the area's Polish deli, the Sicilian bakery and the Polish language video store, Bielinski said. But over the years, as more and more of the neighborhood's older residents have moved to the suburbs, the businesses along Lawrence Avenue went with them, she said.
Two years ago, Bielinski looked around and realized her bakery was the only retail shop left on her side of Lawrence Avenue.
"As each place shut down, there was less and less foot traffic," Bielinski said. Delightful Pastries "basically had to become a destination shop."
Bielinski beefed up Delightful's online marketing in an effort to draw more customers, but times were tough. Bielinski also considered moving her business to the suburbs, she said.
There's been a slight turnaround in recent years. During the pandemic, a lot of young families moved out of neighborhoods such as Lakeview and Logan Square and bought homes on the Far Northwest Side, where there's more space and real estate is slightly more affordable, Bielinski said.
However, a lot of the new residents don't know about the neighborhood's hidden "gems," she said.
"Jefferson Park is a really big neighborhood, and there's all these different corridors," Meyer said. "We're just kind of like a little island over here on our own."
Meyer and Bielinski think increased marketing and branding could bring more attention to the area.
Meyer has tried to clean up the block, has re-striped the Lawrence Plaza parking lot and also took over the storefront next to his shop, which previously served as a COVID-19 testing spot. Meyer now uses the storefront for terrarium building and plant re-potting classes, and he loans the space to Sunny Village Cafe for its events.
Meyer also is trying to get a mural installed near his shop, and he wants to turn an old sign that still advertises COVID-19 testing into a message board that posts neighborhood events, he said.
The city needs to do more to make sure the block looks "maintained," Bielinski said. She often has to clean trash off of her stoop because the street doesn't have enough garbage cans, and the area needs more trees and greenery, she said. She also suggested adding an archway, similar to the one at the entrances of Lincoln Square's shopping district.
"Everything is focused on Lawrence and Milwaukee; this corner is a little bit forgotten," Bielinski said.
One thing that sets the new businesses coming to Lawrence Avenue apart is how they collaborate and cross promote, said Bella Ventresca, executive director of the Jefferson Park Chamber of Commerce.
Delightful Pastries is providing basked goods for Sunny Village and Plot Twist. Catalina Plant Co. and A Taste of the Philippines have a deal where customers get 10 percent off if they show a receipt from the other business. Catalina also held events at Printer's Row Brewing in the past; and on Sept. 29, Meyer is hosting Catalina's third anniversary celebration at Vito's Vault. The "Catalina Plant Mixer" will feature tacos from El Milagrito and beverages from Vito's.
While Lawrence Avenue has had a lot of momentum in recent months, business owners need more support from the city if they want to make it long-term, Bielinski said.
Lengthy and expensive permitting processes can hurt beginning businesses, Bielinski said. City tax breaks for vacant storefronts also encourage landlords to keep buildings empty, and some of the storefronts across from Delightful have been vacant for more than a decade, she said.
Bielinski would like to see the city work with local chambers of commerce to fund marketing and branding campaigns for local businesses. Lawrence Avenue also needs an "anchor business" that will keep customers coming to the area on a consistent basis, she said.
The land across from Catalina Plant Co. is fenced off and empty. The building that used to be there was demolished last year, Bielinski said.
Hardy and Meyer would like to see the vacant land be used for a mixed-use residential building, they said. Apartments would bring more foot traffic to the area, Hardy said.
"It is a very walkable neighborhood, but you need something to walk to," Meyer said.
Hardy encouraged people to come out and "experience Lawrence Plaza."
"You can really spend a day here," she said. "You can start at the spa to get a message, then stop in and get some lumpia while sipping on coffee from Sunny Village Cafe, then you can go next door to Catalina and fill your house up with plants."