It’s out with the old and in with the big-box retailers in Evanston as the city attempts to revitalizes it downtown economy with new, national chain store development projects. And while some shoppers in town praise the low prices and selection at these additions, not everyone in town welcomes the changes.
Take a walk down Evanston’s Sherman Avenue and it is easy to see the city’s reinvention in progress. On one side of the street you’ll find a row of independent retailers, like Williams Shoes, Dan’s Camping Supplies and Tomato. All stores, which for many residents, have been staples of Evanston’s retail landscape for the past two decades.
Across the street it’s a much different picture. Big-box retailers such as Gap, North Face and Pier 1 Imports have recently moved in to the newly constructed Sherman Plaza building and are vying for residents’ dollars.
The surge of new retailers is part of the Evanston City Council’s strategic development plan that dates back to March 27, 2006. The plan, which took nine months to develop, focuses on several areas, the main one being economic growth for downtown Evanston.
According to the City Planning Committee, the city does still have a large mix of independent retailers, which under their definition is a store that is headquartered in the Chicago area with five or fewer establishments.
By this definition, 66 percent of downtown Evanston shops are independent establishments. This is lower than the last reported numbers in 2004, when independent businesses represented 72% of the mix.
“As the new developments move in it makes it hard for small stores to stay in business,” said Rachel Pevine, a graphic designer from Evanston. Pevine works to save small businesses in Evanston by providing them with posters for their windows that explain the downside of the new development projects. Pevine says the new buildings won’t accommodate small businesses because their rents will be too high.
Another resident, Barbara Redclay, a 10-year resident of Evanston, says she has noticed the changes, “The sizes of the stores are not in scale with the city,” Redclay said.
In a report generated by Morris Robinson, the head of economic development, officials said they want to create a downtown that has a mix of both, with the well-known names drawing large number of customers and offering predictable merchandise, and the one-of-a-kind stores giving the shopping district its distinct character.
According to the same report several independent stores have been bought and replaced by national brands, as was the case with The Art Store that was bought by Dick Blick Art Materials early last year.
Not everyone is opposed to the new additions. Some, like David Bower, a lawyer from Evanston, welcome the new stores. “I don’t care if a business is ‘local’. If chains are able to provide a superior product, I don’t care if it is the same store that is in Chicago or Tulsa,” Bower said.
Many residents say they shop at big-box retailer. They just don’t want them in Evanston.
“We don’t need them, they are everywhere,” Deborah Meacock said, “It is getting to the point where you can be blindfolded and dropped in any city and you wouldn’t tell the difference. It is generic city.”
Meacock is a new resident to Evanston and has frequent visitors. “When I have guest visit they don’t want to shop at the same stores they have back home.”
“They don’t want to walk acres to find two things,” Meacock said, “We have a historic city and we are killing it.”
Either way, it is clear that the new big-box stores aren’t going anywhere as the city moves forward with development plans, like the proposed tower for the 708 Church Street block, which will house 218 condos and 30,000 square feet of retail space.
Residents can contribute to the planning process by attending weekly meetings at the Civic Center. The next meetings are scheduled for April 30 and May 7th.
