CHICAGO (CBS) — Businesses in the suburban downtown area are not just surviving, they're thriving.
A cool, easy-going vibe can be felt in downtown Skokie these days, but it took years and a lot of hard work to get there. Some consider it a renaissance.
Here's a little history of downtown Skokie.
In the past, the stores were full of customers, and business boomed. Sadly, things have changed over the years, but now this downtown is back with a rage.
“We did 15 new businesses last year,” Skokie Economic Activity Coordinator Carol White said.
Coordinator of economic vitality is not just a title for White. It's her mission.
“There's something comforting about seeing an empty space that now has a store or restaurant in it,” she said.
The companies are small, specialized and convenient.
To attract entrepreneurs, Skokie opened its arms and a little of its bank account.
“Was it like, ‘I can’t afford proper signage?’ And signage is so important, can you fill that gap?” White said. “We are not funding the entire project, but we are filling in those gaps as we go.”
But do it strategically.
“Building a downtown and making it prosperous takes serious effort,” White said. “It has to be the right mix, right? You don't open your doors and say, 'Hey, all the restaurants are coming.' So we balanced that with fitness. We balanced that with stores.”
And with cooperation.
“We started getting together once a month with all the companies, listening to their challenges and having them share their successes and help with planning,” White said. “One of our companies got together and created a website for downtown Skokie.”
Those would be the guys at Kneads and Wants. Co-owner Madeline England, a longtime Skokian resident, remembers when things weren't so good here.
“I can tell you from the 1960s until now, downtown Skokie has kind of been up and down, but we've never been able to maintain the upward momentum that I'm definitely seeing now,” England said.
At the Latin restaurant Libertad, Walter Corrigan, a regular, agrees.
“We've lived here for 22 years,” Corrigan said. “This was never a restaurant mecca. It was dead. In fact, people would say, 'Do you live in Skokie?' They'd say, 'Where do you go to eat?' And now, well, you can just see.”
The population of downtown Skokie is increasingly diverse.
That's why she opened the second location of The Hijab Vault in Skokie, Juweriya Khalwadia said. Nearby, you can find halal sweets, savory treats and more at Sweet Reserve Bakery and Café.
“It's so cool to learn every day about all these different cultures and how we all get along,” White said.
In addition to the housing boom. The new High Point Apartments at 8000 North are 98% full.
All of this is contributing to the renaissance of downtown Skokie — a host of new friends, neighbors and businesses, White says.
“They're interested in Skokie because it's coming, right? We have an atmosphere of positivity, enthusiasm and purpose,” she said. “There's something interesting here. Something very elegant.”
Fun fact: In the early 1900s, Skokie was also a popular location for filming silent movies. Fans of classic television may recognize a shot of Oakton Street as it was used to depict the fictional town of Mayfield in the comedy Leave It to Beaver.
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Mary Saavedra
