Building Fellowship in Beverly

Small businesses find ways to recreate the Main Street feeling

by Janaya Crevier 1 month ago

Zachary Jesse

In October 2018, the 103rd Street Metra station became the last of six historic train stations in Beverly to close its ticket office window. To some in the area, watching the stations close may have been a disappointment—especially after Metra spent at least $48 million in renovations in the last decade. But to nearby residents Nate and Sonia Hollister, one of the ticket window closings presented an opportunity in disguise. Two Mile Coffee Bar, co-owned by the Hollisters and Gretta and Patrick Dertinger, opened for business inside of the 95th Street train station on April 20—more than three years after the ticket window there closed.

Getting Everybody in the Room

Three panelists at Chicago’s first Cooperative Economy Summit discuss the city’s current cooperative landscape and their goals for the summit

by Erisa Apantaku 11 months ago

L-R: Dr. Amara Eniya, Mike Strode, Termaine Davis

This week, Chicago will host its first summit on issues of cooperative economics. Cooperatives—often called “co-ops”—are organizations that are mutually owned or operated by all those involved; decisions are reached together and resources are shared amongst those in the organization.

Business | Immigration | Interviews | La Vida de La Villita | Little Village

Jaime di Paulo

For the head of Little Village’s business network, Trump’s immigration policies have meant disaster—and renewal

by Sarah Conway and Ellen Hao 12 months ago

Ellen Hao

Jaime di Paulo is the executive director of the Little Village Chamber of Commerce. Originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, di Paulo was recruited to come work with the thriving business community here. He sat down with 90 Days, 90 Voices to talk about how President Trump’s election has impacted Little Village, an oft-overlooked economic powerhouse.

Business

Here For the Long Run

$50 million initiative instills hopes for more equitable neighborhood investment

by Adeshina Emmanuel 3 years ago 2 Comments

Courtesy LISC

The neighborhoods of Chicago affected most by crime and violence tend to be some of the most economically depressed parts of the city, where jobs, commerce, and investment lag. Community leaders working on the ground to reverse this economic depression say their efforts have often lacked the coordinated planning, resources, and commitment from the city to sustain progress. But now, some of them see positive signs in a fledgling economic development program targeting South Side neighborhoods, as well as in other community finance tools emerging in Chicago.