The Vice President visits 75th Street on Tuesday

 Kamala Harris is a former U.S. Senator from California and recently made history as the first woman of color to become Vice President of the United States under the 46th President Joe Biden. It was in the news recently that she spent a little bit of time on 75th Street on Tuesday to visit Brown Sugar Bakery.

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton met up with the new vice president at Brown Sugar Bakery on East 75th Street after Harris visited a nearby vaccination site. https://t.co/qvjvpYshis

— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) April 7, 2021

CBS Chicago: Two Chatham restaurants could close due to pandemic

 

[VIDEO] This report features the owners of two Chatham restaurants both located on 75th Street. Mabe's Deli and 5 Loaves - I've yet to visit them and I hear a lot about their chicken - who are struggling thanks to this pandemic. Dine-in is difficult because of mitigation efforts that either prohibited dine-in service or limits the capacity of dine-in service. Indeed the talk before the weather got colder was to allow tents to allow people to dine-in, however, they'd do so outside of the establishment.

Either way this pandemic has been painful for small businesses across the nation for sure.

5 Loaves suffers a temporary set back this past weekend...

5 Loaves tagged us on a ig post that we regrammed on Sunday and Worlee Glover shared this on Concerned Citizens of Chatham also. It's a shame that a neighborhood eatery on 75th Street has been knocked out by copper thieves that keeps this business from operating - in this case no electricity. For a quick buck thieves prevent a legitimate business from making long-term money.

No sooner did I finish this post last night I saw this quick announcement on 5 Loaves ig that their electricity has been restored. I'm sure there is a whole story behind it, but it seems the folks at 5 Loaves got to work - with the help of the community - is back up and running and hopefully they'll see you as a customer on Tuesday and beyond!

What is "Dining on the 5"?

This isn't something I've taken advantage of, but it's great that the Greater Chatham Initiative is getting publicity for this. "Dining on the 5" is the subject of an article for the hyperlocal Block Club Chicago. The article is about dining on 75th Street - which over the years is known as Black Wall Street or Renaissance Row.

The potential here as I think was noted here on this blog, 75th Street could become a culinary, entertaining, or nightlife center. There are a number of restaurants or eateries on 75th, perhaps there's an opportunity there that the community should take advantage of. Perhaps "Dining on the 5" is key.

What is "Dining on the 5"?

Six of the strip’s most popular restaurants are offering discounts and outdoor seating to customers who come in through July 23.

“There are 77 neighborhoods in Chicago, and in greater Chatham we have four neighborhoods,” Greater Chatham Initiative director Nedra Sims Fears said. “We have to get our name out there to get our name recognition out there and have people come and visit us, and having an event like ‘Dining on the 5’ attracts people from all over.”

Fears said “Dining On The 5” started last year as a pilot program with help from the city’s Department of Transportation and Dept. of Planning.

Rebranding Chatham is at the core of organizing the event, Fears said. At previous events, people have traveled from as far as Ohio and Indiana.

The participating establishments:

• Original Soul Vegetarian, 205 E. 75th
• Lem’s Bar-B-Q, 311 E. 75th
• Mabe’s Deli, 312 E. 75th
• Brown Sugar Bakery, 328 E. 75th
• 5 Loaves Eatery, 405 E. 75th
• Flammin Restaurant, 641 E. 75th

Ahhhh very interesting line-up and dine on some Lem's on the sidewalk or grab a baked good from Brown Sugar - never been BTW. Better yet another establishment I've never eaten at get some chicken from 5 Loaves.

Either way there's an opportunity here. Can 75th attract more than locals and become a culinary, entertainment, or nightlife center for the south side?

REMINDER: Mabe's Deli opening on 75th Street on Saturday #6thwardchicago

Via Worlee Glover

This grand opening is happening on Saturday- that's today - if you can pay a visit and then feel free to share any feedback in the comments! Below I'm reposting the press release that you should've seen on Tuesday. The deli itself is across the street from Lem's BarBQ.

• Ribbon Cutting and Grand Opening for Mabe's Deli on East 75th Street
  
  Mabe's Deli is celebrating their grand opening with Alderman Roderick Sawyer and members of the community at 11:15 a.m., Saturday, June 30 at 312 East 75th Street, Chicago.
  
  Who: Alderman Roderick Sawyer, Mabe's Deli owners and staff, community and business leaders
  What: Mabe's Deli ribbon cutting and grand opening
  When: 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., Saturday, June 30
  Where: 312 East 75th Street, Chicago, IL
  
  The grand opening celebration celebration begins at 11 a.m. with the ribbon cutting ceremony beginning at 11:15 a.m. Attendees will be able to try free samples of Mabe's smoothies and enjoy special discounts throughout the day.
  
  For pictures of the grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony, please visit Mabe's Deli on Facebook following the event.
  
  ###

Mabe's Deli opening on 75th Street on Saturday

Got a new eatery coming to 75th Street. My last visit to Lem's Bar-B-Q I noticed the sign. Look at it this way another option with Soul Vegetarian on 75th/Indiana, Brown Sugar Bakery doors away, and of course with Lem's across the street. I'm liking some of the options that you can see on their website that it's worth paying a visit in the future.

Below is a press release sent to us:

Corridor Convo for 71st, 75th, 79th & Cottage Grove April 14, 2018

This evite was posted to our fb page yesterday and is worth sharing. Just remember at the end of January all the bloggers was there for the launch of Chatham Center Chicago. The latest concept to market Chatham and promote local businesses. It doesn't hurt that this launch was held at our newly revitalized local movie house.

• Date and Time
   Saturday, April 14, 2018
  10:00 AM – 12:00 PM CDT

• Location
  Urban Partnership Bank
  7801 South State Street
  2nd Floor Conference Room
  Chicago, IL 60619

Please join us on Saturday, April 14, 2018 to hear creative ideas for how to bring more vitality and opportunities to Chatham Center Chicago commercial corridors in the Greater Chatham area. In January of 2018, the Greater Chatham Initiative invited UIC urban planning and policy students (College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs) to conduct a studio course about revitalizing commercial corridors. Over the last 3 months, these 17 students have collected data and conducted fieldwork to assess conditions. The students have prepared short presentations to share their ideas for how the corridors can be improved. You are invited to see their ideas, and share your feedback. The event is free but registration is strongly suggested.

Snapshots along 75th Street #6wardchicago

In 2009 there was a infrastructure project on 75th Street where the city had to dig out some sewer lines which resulted in traffic being shut down and reopened to great hoopla and was declared a "Black Wall Street". Although it seems that has died down since then I see this area as a center for dining & night life.

Feel free to click on the pics for a larger resolution.

This pic is a professional building for sale. Earlier in the year there I posted about a listing for this building. Perhaps a place for doctors, lawyers, or business people. Granted I noted that this is a street great for dining & night life however bear in mind this is a street that has a number of retail establishments also.

75th/King Drive: What would you like to see here?

The today's post is to ask one simple question, "What would you like to see here?" The collage of 75th/King Drive was posted to our ig page and one comment by Worlee Glover stated simply that in 6 months this corner will look a lot different. We can consider the changes up to the point when I snapped these shots last Wednesday.

In 2014 we featured the corner shown in the lower right of the above collage. This was home to a store and offices of state Representative Andre Thapedi that fell victim to a fire. Once the ashes of the buildings were cleared finally now there's this vacant lot on this corner.

In the lower left another building was said to have fell victim to another fire. While I'm not a building inspector, the fact that it's still standing shows that it's potentially salvageable. It's a building looking for redevelopment in the near future and consider that next door to that building are two thriving businesses one of which - 5 Loaves Eatery - has gotten a lot of notice lately on local media.

In the upper right is a Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robins store. The building was formerly a KFC and much more recently a JJ's fish. The choices of business to take up shop here has only reopened the worms of what types of business would we prefer in our communites. Better question as increasingly 75th seems to be a center of food businesses in our community, what types of restaurants would we prefer to frequent? What healthy foods would be like to eat in a local restaurant?

Here's the ig post of the above collage

What happened to the homeless sisters?

The sisters' tent has collapsed, and has been this way for days

Does anyone know what happened to the homeless sisters who have camped out in various parts of our neighborhood?

You have probably seen them somewhere around the neighborhood.  They have camped out at 75th & King Drive (just before and after the fire that took down the building), at 87th & The Dan Ryan, 84th & King, and most recently in front of the former Church's Chicken at 87th & King Drive.

They are two sisters who sit under a makeshift tarp tent. They claim it is a church, and that as such, gives them the right to be encamped wherever they are.  They seem to sit in 2 chairs under the tarp, stay there all day, and then sleep there. They only occasionally come out.

They have been encamped by the former Church's Chicken on 87th & King Drive. They seem to have been there some time after it closed, and when they took off the Church's sign.So it has been a number of weeks, if not months.

Last week, I noticed that one of the chairs seemed to be down. A few days later, the "tent" hadn't returned to normal.

That made me suspicious,so I stopped by. Now, if someone was there, if someone tried to do anythign, they would be out and chasing people away. But there was no response. In fact, one chair had fell over, and rain water had filled the top of that part of the tarp.  I couldn't lift the other one, but there did not seem to be a body (also, no odor).

Their encampment has been abandoned for days

Even with this bitterly cold weather, it doesn't seem like they died. Does anyone know if they have been arrested, taken , or brought to the hospital?

They are very protective of their stuff and territory (for example, arguing with the owner of a truck which was parked in the lot). So it seems odd for it to just be left there. At some point, I know someone will want to have the debris removed.

If you have any information on them, please e-mail the blog at blog+blog@thesixthward.us

We hope they are OK.

The sisters are fierce in keeping their home.  

Commercial property for sale on 75th Street

For those you looking for some real estate here's a professional building to purchase at 200 E. 75th Street listed for $725k and yes although three-quarters of a millions dollars. Woah.

Some history is that it was a medical building that was owned by a medical group who eventually sold the building. There was a dentistry and dermatology practice here at one point. Current several businesses occupy the space here.

Also I want to note remember in 2009 75th Street was referred to as "Renaissance Row" a bastion of "Black Wall Street". Perhaps this is one piece of real estate where we need to capitalize on that.

Anyway Worlee shared some pics with a link to the listing over as his Concerned Citizens of Chatham fb page.

Chicago's Best Fried Chicken: 5 Loaves Eatery

[VIDEO] Recently a 6th Ward business 5 Loaves Eatery was show on Chicago's Best TV which airs both on WGN & CLTV. We shared an Instagram post from 5 Loaves early last month letting us know that CBTV host Britney Payton was dropping by to film a segment hear and invited people to drop by.

I'm sorry to say I've never visited this place, however, since they are located near 75th/King Drive they're worth a visit. Also it's a plus that they're not far from Lem's Bar-B-Q which is down the street on 75th also.

Has anyone else been? How do they like the food? Also what would you recommend for a first timer to that restaurant?

5Loaves on WGN's "Chicago's Best" next Thursday

Actually what I'm taking from this recent Instagram post from the eatery located on 405 E. 75th Street, they want a packed restaurant when the crew from Chicago's Best arrives on Nov. 16, 2017. The show itself airs on Sundays at 10 PM on WGN. Hopefully we can share the program itself if it's available online.

Join us next Thursday 11/16 We’re going to be featured on WGNs 📺Chicago’s Best!! #5Loaves #Chicago #SmallBusinesses #BlackBusinesses #CountryCooking #Family #Love #HotnFresh #75thStreet #wgnnews BLESSINGS ON BLESSINGS 🙌🏾

A post shared by Constance Simms-Kincaid (@5loaveseatery) on Nov 10, 2017 at 10:06am PST

Are you going to Lem's on the Fourth?

If you attempted to pay Lem's Bar-B-Q (@ 311 E. 75th Street) a visit the evening before the 4th of July there was a line wrapped around the establishment. It seems a lot of people want to get that quick Lem's fix in time for the holidays. Bear in mind however that the long-time bbq restaurant will be open on the Fourth and will be closed Wednesday. Normally Lem's is closed on Tuesday.

I'll even post the ig post from the official Lem's profile below:

A post shared by Lem's BarBQ (@lemsbarbq) on Jul 2, 2017 at 2:13pm PDT

What do we do about the 50 Yard Line?

The 50 Yard Line is a lounge on 75th Street and it was in the news at the end of last month that a fatal shooting occurred there. It has started a community discussion which occurred at a recent Park Manor neighborhood meeting. Over at the Concerned Citizen's of Chatham FB page Worlee Glover writes a report on this meeting.

My two cents is that as a person who generally doesn't visit bars, it would be sad to see such an institution goes. My belief is that better a bar that's dedicated to protecting people either keeping them from getting into their vehicles and driving while intoxicated or keeping a patron from drinking too much be in a community. I also figure there are those elements who believe alcohol is bad regardless sees this as one more excuse to close down another lounge.

Fact is there aren't too many places in our communities where we could have a good time with friends or family. If not a lounge there aren't many sit down restaurants. I'm hoping that the 50 Yard Line owners and the community are able to get together in the hopes that we won't have many violent and deadly incidents such as this one recently.

Brown Sugar Bakery robbed -- of their cakes!!!

We have a report from DNAinfo that our very own Brown Sugar Bakery-Chicago was robbed -- but of all of their cakes (and apparently sold them for cheap).   This happened shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday and the thieves stole 48 cakes, cupcakes and brownies. Thankfully, there was no other serious damage other than the window (which has since been repaired).

So please come out and support them so they can recover their losses... and does the no-snitch policy hold when it comes to selling illegally obtained cakes?

Please visit 328 E. 75th St., Chicago IL 60619 . Their phone number is (773) 224-6262 and the website is http://brownsugarbakerychicago.com/ 

You can also find them on Facebook, to leave a supportive comment.

5 Loaves restaurant has electrical box stolen

5 Loaves Eatery, located at 405 E 75th St, Chicago IL 60619, just reported that their electrical box has been stolen (along with Harold's Chicken), and business

Here's what they posted on Facebook:

Attention 5 Loaves family, we are sorry to inform you that our electrical housing was stolen overnight. This is the second time this has happened.


I pity these neighborhood terrorist that perform crimes on people and businesses, that are trying to make a living and provide for their families, by taking instead of working for what they want.


We are asking for your prayers for not only our business; but also Harolds that is next door to us.


It took over two and a half months ,last time this happened to reopen. We are praying that God allows us to come back stronger and better.


God bless

We wish them the best, and will keep you informed on how to help. Their website is http://www.5loaveschicago.com/ and their phone number is 773.891.2889

we will keep you updated on any progress.

On a personal note (from JP): I am sorry I haven't had the opportunity to visit yet. I do not want to see any further businesses close, especially nice sit-down restaurants.  we need these businesses to thrive if we want to see a positive tunraround.

DNA Info: Alderman Wants to Bring Coffee Shops, Bars to Desolate State St. Stretch

When Alderman Sawyer first got into office in 2011 he was talking about the need for businesses around the 6th ward's L stops. So would developing a business strip along stretches of State Street would help in that effort.

Ald. Roderick Sawyer dreams of bringing coffee shops, restaurants and bars to a desolate stretch of State Street in the neighborhood where he grew up: Chatham.

By doing so, he hopes he can transform and revive the once-vibrant community by persuading the younger generation to remain in the neighborhood — and even coaxing young families to move here.

“We still have young people who aren’t choosing Chatham as a destination place to live, even though I think we have decent housing stock, because we don’t have the stuff they like,” the 6th Ward alderman said.

Sawyer has targeted the strip between 69th and 79th streets, the site of many empty storefronts, vacant lots and few thriving businesses.

Last week, the City Council Committee on Zoning approved Sawyer's request to rezone State between 76th and 77th streets to allow retail. He also is working with the Chicago Department of Transportation to make the strip more walkable and pedestrian-friendly.

Well there is plenty of room for redevelopment between 69th and 79th Streets. What would you like to see along that stretch of State Street?

VIDEO: Black Owned

[VIDEO] You may have seen a link to the vid above on our FB page. Produced by students at Chatham Academy High School through their After School Matters program it's a short documentary about Chicago's Black owned businesses.

They definitely highlight the businesses of 75th Street with Brown Sugar Bakery, Lem's BBQ, Soul Vegetarian, Authentic Cooking Catering, and KMT Health Food Store.

This documentary runs over 10 minutes.

DNA Info: South Side Baker Impresses Food Network Judges Before Elimination

Stephanie Hart on Food Network

To be honest, I've never been to Brown Sugar Bakery and never had any tasty treats from our local baker Stephanie Hart. It's great to know how much support she has gotten from her appearance on Food Network as part of a competition. Unfortunately she was eliminated early on, however, surely this may have gained her more supporters.

And you know that this means, I need to make my way to Brown Sugar in the future. This means the next visit to Lem's just across the street I can find out what sweet treats are available from Ms. Hart.