Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Members of the Village Council say that the enclosure might be the first of several to solve the problem of garbage piling up in places in the Downers Grove downtown.
Downers Grove officials are considering a new addition to the Village downtown: a Dumpster enclosure at the northwest corner of the Village parking deck on Mochel Drive, that would alleviate the piles of garbage routinely left there by several downtown businesses, Suburban Life reports. According to the paper, the project would cost just over $60,000 and be the long-sought solution to what has been an eyesore in the downtown for years; the Council is set to vote on the plan at the May 7 meeting. "Lots of lots of discussions, going back a long time, went into this conversation," the paper quoted Commissioner Geoff Neustadt saying. "And to see it here at the finish line is a great success. "This will be the blueprint... of what we do in the …
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Downtown ice cream shop to throw party for its 20th anniversary on August 13.
In 1987 the Urban family planted the seed that would eventually grow into Every Day's a Sundae by selling ice cream cones at various local festivals. Five years later they opened up a storefront, and now, 20 years later, they're throwing a party to celebrate being a part of the downtown Downers Grove landscape year-in and year-out for two decades. On August 13 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., the downtown ice cream staple is going to offer its customers 20 percent discounts, entertainment, giveaways and more. Music will be performed by members of the Downers Grove North marching band and the Downers Grove Fire Department will bring one of its engines down. Additionally, the Urban family—Stan and Diane, along with their daughters and partners …
Vote for the best shop in downtown Downers Grove in our Readers' Choice poll.
What is your favorite shop downtown in Downers Grove? When you're downtown, what is the one place you always have to go to? Here's your chance to tell us and vote for your favorite downtown shop. The choices for favorite downtown shop are: Anderson's Bookshop, Dream Interiors and Brigantine Gallery. We'll be accepting votes from July 23 until 11:59 p.m. August 17, so get your votes in! You can cast your vote in our poll here or at the bottom of this article.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
DePaul University study lists 20 best communities on station building, grounds, parking, and nearby amenities. Downers Grove placed 7th.
Downers Grove has been selected as the No. 7 top transit suburb of Metropolitan Chicago, according to a study released today by the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development based at DePaul University in Chicago. Downers Grove finished one spot below Wheaton and one spot ahead of Naperville, with LaGrange getting top honors. The DePaul University team considered 45 measurable factors to rank the best transit suburbs based on their station buildings and platforms; station grounds and parking; walkable downtown amenities adjacent to the station; and degree of community connectivity to public transportation, as measured by the use of commuter rail services. The team made at least three visits to each of 25 finalists before ranking the …
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Women's clothing store to open its third location in downtown Downers Grove.
Sometimes, all you need is a little truth in advertising. Jeans and a Cute Top, a new women's clothing store expecting to open on Main Street in Downers Grove in September, tells you up-front what you should expect when you walk through its doors. Owned by Winfield resident Jill Card and her husband Richard, the Downers Grove location will be the store's third location since 2009, following the flagship Wheaton store and the St. Charles location that opened in 2010. As for the shop's name, its origin dates back 20 years ago when Jill asked her eventual husband what she should wear on their first date. When Jill decided she wanted to open a shop in 2009, their inside joke fit the store's ethos, and it stuck. “Our edge is what we do,” Jill …
Friday, July 20, 2012
You may not know who she is, but she's had a hand in just about everything you enjoy about downtown.
If it happens downtown, she either knows about it or she's responsible for it. Linda Kunze, the executive director of the Downtown Management Corporation, knows the ins-and-outs of the downtown area better than anyone else around. She has to—it's her job. Since 1999 Linda has been the woman responsible for keeping the downtown vibrant and stocked with restaurants and shops the residents of Downers Grove want. She works tirelessly, sometimes starting her day at 7:30 a.m. and wrapping up at 10 p.m. recruiting businesses, organizing downtown events, and managing all aspects of the downtown area. The argument can be made that no single person has had a greater impact on the downtown area than Linda has over the last 13 years. A resident of …
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Cocomero frozen yogurt hopes to open in little more than a month.
When 37-year-old Kevan Lee moved to Hoffman Estates in 2000 from Seoul, South Korea, frozen yogurt wasn't exactly on the marketing major's radar. Now, he's getting ready to open his second frozen yogurt location in Downers Grove. Lee is hoping to open Cocomero—an Italian word for watermelon that Lee's brother-in-law found on the Internet and liked the sound of—in August, and the store will occupy the space Knitche previously did as Knitche is moving across the street. It will be the second Cocomero location, with the first opening in Champaign in 2009. Lee opened that location with his brother-in-law but is opening the Downers Grove location on his own. Cocomero will feature frozen yogurt in about 12 flavors with roughly 30 toppings …
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Downers Grove Patch asks readers to play developer and share their ideas for open storefronts around town.
We're trying something new here on Downers Grove Patch where we'll supply a photo of a vacant storefront around town and ask you, the reader, to tell us what kind of business you think should be in that spot. To get this feature started, we're looking at 4928 Main with its distinct blue facade just north of the tracks downtown and next door to Toon Funeral Home. Taking this specific space for what it is and where it's located, what would you like to see fill it? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Since taking over ownership of Kristina's Cafe in February 2011, Lance Shalzi is slowly but surely putting his stamp on the downtown cafe.
You might think owning a restaurant in a primary location downtown on Main Street would be more than enough to keep you busy, but for Kristina's Cafe owner Lance Shalzi, running the restaurant is only half of his workload. Since 1992, the 49-year-old Park Ridge resident has run his own architecture practice, LAS Architects, specializing in retail, restaurants and multi-family homes. The owner of Kristina's Cafe since February 2011, Shalzi's work day is just getting started when Kristina's is ending. And now that Kristina's is serving dinner four days out of the week, it makes for a long day. Shalzi knew in high school he wanted to be an architect, but even has he pursued it in college and ultimately started his own company, a second love …
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Nominate the best shop in downtown Downers Grove in our Readers' Choice poll.
Truth2Search
7:59 pm on Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Even with dumpster enclosures hiding the messes, they may still need more frequent Pickup. Once a week may not cut it. The Downtown area is important and is a strong influence on whether people like DG or not. This needs to be done right. more ›