Worlee Glover posted his thoughts on the Boombox Chatham at 79th & Rhodes recently on Nextdoor. Unfortunately I have yet to visit the repurposed shipping container that has contained a number of advertised vendors since being installed at that corner this past fall. BTW, I really wanted to check out My Block My Hood My City when they were there at least before the holiday season.
When this was first announced I though this was a good location. Another good location would also be 79th & State just off the Dan Ryan. Perhaps this could draw attention to 79th Street as a commercial thoroughfare as it could use more attention and investment. Indeed Boombox unveiled this with the Greater Chatham Initiative as well.
In the comments seen on Nextdoor some have suggested that this could be more of a seasonal thing. Perhaps who ever rents the "Boombox" could use that whole lot - which was formerly home of the Rhodes Theater - for outdoor events when the weather warms up. So perhaps in addition to a vendor renting the space, perhaps the lot could be home to outdoor displays complete with food trucks (thanks JP Paulus). Also bear in mind that another nearby Boombox is located in Englewood just across the street from the Whole Foods store at 63rd & Halsted.
Anyway those are just some ideas Worlee's rant is below along with a post from his Concerned Citizens of Chatham.
At the corner of 79th Rhodes sits what some have liken to a bus shelter, Boombox Chatham. The shipping container designed as a retail space is suppose to introduce the community to new businesses.
While they started out with some interesting businesses and one eventually went on to open a store, since then there has been very little activity since the vendor for the holiday season backed out.
Last month there was suppose to be an event but the event was posted late.
Recently, I inquired who was the next vendor and was told there had been a vendor in the space since the first of February. The vendor gave me a response they advertised on Instagram.
I inquired who was notified and I was told “community representatives “ and when I asked who they were I got crickets.
Boombox Chicago blamed the Greater Chatham Initiative(GCI) on the open house faux pax. But when asked about why the box was placed on the corner GCI stated they made that decision but Boombox Chicago was suppose to support with seating and marketing.
Since the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing and the “community representatives” do not share the information maybe it’s time to end this experiment.
I had the chance to see the one on the Westside and it’s a hot mess and I don’t want to see this happen on 79th.
When this was first announced I though this was a good location. Another good location would also be 79th & State just off the Dan Ryan. Perhaps this could draw attention to 79th Street as a commercial thoroughfare as it could use more attention and investment. Indeed Boombox unveiled this with the Greater Chatham Initiative as well.
In the comments seen on Nextdoor some have suggested that this could be more of a seasonal thing. Perhaps who ever rents the "Boombox" could use that whole lot - which was formerly home of the Rhodes Theater - for outdoor events when the weather warms up. So perhaps in addition to a vendor renting the space, perhaps the lot could be home to outdoor displays complete with food trucks (thanks JP Paulus). Also bear in mind that another nearby Boombox is located in Englewood just across the street from the Whole Foods store at 63rd & Halsted.
Anyway those are just some ideas Worlee's rant is below along with a post from his Concerned Citizens of Chatham.
While they started out with some interesting businesses and one eventually went on to open a store, since then there has been very little activity since the vendor for the holiday season backed out.
Last month there was suppose to be an event but the event was posted late.
Recently, I inquired who was the next vendor and was told there had been a vendor in the space since the first of February. The vendor gave me a response they advertised on Instagram.
I inquired who was notified and I was told “community representatives “ and when I asked who they were I got crickets.
Boombox Chicago blamed the Greater Chatham Initiative(GCI) on the open house faux pax. But when asked about why the box was placed on the corner GCI stated they made that decision but Boombox Chicago was suppose to support with seating and marketing.
Since the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing and the “community representatives” do not share the information maybe it’s time to end this experiment.
I had the chance to see the one on the Westside and it’s a hot mess and I don’t want to see this happen on 79th.
No comments:
Post a Comment
PLEASE READ FIRST!!!! Comment Moderating and Anonymous Comment Policy
While anonymous comments are not prohibited we do encourage you to help readers identify you so that other commenters may respond to you. Either read the moderating policy for how or leave an identifier (which could be a nickname for example) at the end of the comment.
Also note that this blog is NOT associated with any public or political officials including Alderman Roderick T. Sawyer!