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Welcoming New 43rd Ward Businesses

Dear Friends, 

 

Since I've been alderman, I've been working hard to bring new businesses to the 43rd Ward and fight vacant storefronts. These efforts have led to significant reductions in empty storefronts, including a 50% reduction in vacancies on Clark Street and a 30% reduction on the Armitage/Halsted corridor. 

 

Here is a round-up of 45 newly opened and hotly anticipated new businesses in our neighborhood!

Armitage/Halsted Corridor

 

The Social Table; 819 W. Armitage: The Social Table opened this fall  as a part cooking class, part social event and part dinner party concept. Now, The Social Table will be featuring brunch classes! 

 

Warby Parker; 837 W. Armitage: Eyewear shop Warby Parker is equipped with a portrait studio, so customers can not only shop for the latest eyewear styles, but also have professional portraits taken free of charge.

 

Blue Door Farm Stand; 843 W. Armitage: Offering farm-to-table ingredients, Blue Door Farm Stand is now serving locally brewed craft beers, too. 

 

Marine Layer; 849 W. Armitage: San-Franciso based Marine Layer makes "absurdly soft shirts"  for men and women and will be opening this spring in a new building under construction in the old Hanig's location.

 

Freshii, 854 W. Armitage: A healthy, fast-casual restaurant serving organic food, Freshii is expanding outside the Loop with this Lincoln Park location.

 

DreamDry; 904 W. Armitage: This blow-dry chain co-owned by celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe began with two locations in New York, and has opened their third location on Armitage Avenue. 
 

The Tie Bar; 918 W. Armitage: After debuting a holiday pop-up store last fall, the Chicago-based men's accessories company is making their Armitage location permanent, establishing the company's first permanent retail store.

 

Sugar Fixe; 951 W. Armitage: The city's first shop completely focused on macarons is now open in Lincoln Park. Visit Sugar Fixe for 18 flavors of macarons each day!

 

Le Pain Quotidien; 1000 W. Armitage: Founded in Belgium, Le Pain Quotidien chose the location as one of the first three in the city for its entrance to Chicago.

 

Visual Effects Optical, 1013 W. Armitage: Visual Effects brings their 25 years of experience to Armitage, offering designer frames and great service.

 

Pure Barre Lincoln Park; 2058 N. Halsted: Pure Barre's fourth fitness studio opened on Halsted this fall. 

 

Read It and Eat; 2142 N. Halsted: This spring, head to Read It and Eat, a cooking-centric book store, that will bring the cookbooks to life, featuring cooking classes, demonstrations and author visits. 

New Elephant Resale Shop; 2209 N. Halsted: The popular resale shop is opening a new, larger location on Halsted. Join on Saturday, February 21st for the grand opening event, which will feature pastries, a raffle for gift certificates, and psychic readings.  

 

Clark Street

Vanille Patisserie; 2108 N. Clark: Vanille Patisserie, which opened several months ago, has expanded their offerings to include afternoon tea! Schedule your tea time Thursday through Sunday afternoon, and enjoy an assortment of finger foods and pastries along with tea selections.

La Diosa; 2308 N. Clark: Chef Laura Martinez, who has been blind since birth, achieved a long held goal in opening La Diosa this January, serving Mexican comfort food with French touches.

Firecakes Donuts; 2453 N. Clark: This popular River North shop is expanding, offering gourmet donuts to Lincoln Park, opening next to Basil Leaf Cafe.

Benjyehuda; 2485 N. Clark: The restaurant, which opened this summer on Clark Street, is popular for its pitas, laffas and box lunches containing falafel, chicken or steak shawarma.

New concept at former Vapiano; 2577 N. Clark: The restaurant group behind Oak+Char is transforming the former Vapiano restaurant into a three-restaurant concept, offering three different restaurants under one roof. Look forward to to enjoying this new restaurant in June!

Snow Dragon Shavery; 2618 N. Clark: This new dessert spot will be opening soon on Clark Street, offering a healthier alternative to traditional ice cream.

Teavana; 2754 N. Clark: Popular tea store, Teavana, will be building out a new location at the former Hanig's Slipper Box. Opening date to come soon. 

These new stores are in addition to the six new stores we announced earlier this year.

Diversey Avenue

JINYA Ramen Bar; 533 W. Diversey: This summer, a popular Los Angeles-based ramen bar will be coming to Lincoln Park. JINYA will feature "Tonkotsu Ramen," which has a rich and strong smelling noodle with a pork broth.

Snap Kitchen; 621 W. Diversey: With healthy, ready-to-eat meals featuring local and organic ingredients, Snap Kitchen, will be a must-visit for busy neighbors. 

Lincoln Avenue

Snarf's Sandwiches; 2201 N. Lincoln: This Colorado-based business offers toasted subs, as well as ice cream and shakes. Look for a second location to open soon at 955 W. Webster. 

Elio Pizza on Fire; 2360 N. Lincoln: Elio's pizza, which opened this fall on Lincoln Avenue, features wood-fired specialty pizzas.

Slice N Dice; 2364 N. Lincoln: This new restaurant serves up salads, wings, sandwiches and pizza.

Pizano's Pizza; 2427 N. Lincoln: Bringing classic, deep dish pizza to Lincoln Park, Pizano's has been serving slices to neighbors since opening this past summer.

The Red Lion; 2446 N. Lincoln: The British pub re-opened its doors this summer, welcoming guests with three fireplaces and shelves filled with more than 1,000 books.

The Bagelers Coffeehouse; 2461 N. Lincoln: Stop by the Bagelers for a breakfast and grab a Chicago style bagel and fresh-brewed coffee. 

The Twisted Baker; 2475 N. Lincoln: The bakery opened its new Lincoln Park location just last week, offering sweet treats like red velvet cupcakes, turtle brownies and eclairs.

Sweet Station; 2511 N. Lincoln: Sweet Station, a Chinese restaurant with another location in Chinatown, offers tasty food on Lincoln Avenue. 

Wells Street

Real Good Juice; 1647 N. Wells: Real Good Juice Co. features cold pressed juices such as the Juice-Tin-Bieber (almonds, coconut nectar and sea salt) and the Juice Willis (carrots, coconut water and lime).

Sproing Sport; 1652 N. Wells: If you're looking to change up your workout routine, Sproing offers cardio combined with strength, power and balance, all on a soft, low-impact surface.

Flywheel Sports; 1653 N. Wells: Flywheel's Old Town location brings its signature classes, Flywheel and Flybarre, to the 43rd Ward. 

Additional New Businesses

 

Moe's Southwest Grill; 1953. N Clybourn: This fast-casual Mexican food chain opens officially this Thursday, offering $3 burritos for the day. Be sure to join on Wednesday evening for a VIP Fundraiser with all profits benefitting Lincoln Park High School.

White Oak Tavern and Inn; 1200 W. Webster: White Oak is a community-minded tavern featuring sophisticated food in a rustic, but elegant setting. 

Intro; 2300 N. Lincoln Park West: Located in the former L2O space, Intro introduces up-and-coming culinary talents from across the country to Chicago. For two to three months, a guest chef transforms the space into a concept of their own.

Epiphany; 734 W. Fullerton: Head to Fullerton Avenue for a taste of New Orleans with cajun and creole dishes at Epiphany. 

Lavender Park; 2537 N. Sheffield: Be sure to check out one of Lincoln Park's newest salons!

Pro Musica; 713 W. Wrightwood: Owned by a recording engineer and an audio technichian, Pro Musica offers expertise in all things audio. 

Alt-Cycle; 800 W. Altgeld: Alt-Cycle sells a wide variety of cargo bikes, which can haul everything from groceries to people.

Sincerely,

Michele Signature 

Michele Smith

43rd Ward Alderman