It was an encouraging Friday evening for residents strolling down South Michigan ave.
If you were like us, after a long week of work you were excited to see lights on and a line out the door at Pita Heaven (1250 S. Michigan). While they're not officially open (they said they're shooting for next week), they had a tasting party for residents. From comments on our post from earlier in the week and our own tastes, people should be encouraged.
We also got word from readers that a new sign appeared on the window of one of the Marquee retail spaces (1464 S. Michigan Ave.):
This might be the most encouraging sign we've seen in a long time. A (presumably nice) consignment store would bring a completely new dynamic to this stretch. Yes, restaurants are good and doctors offices are essential, but in our opinion we need some additional shopping options. It's also encouraging to see life in this retail complex. It has a ton of space and it's good to see someone finally moving in.
Which brings us to the next sign one of our readers called out at 1400 S. Michigan:
Cute name for a breakfast/brunch/lunch place. We've posted about this place before, but what was most interesting with the sign was that it appears that Waffles has some association with Japonais (the trendy and shi shi Japanesse restaurant in River North). If you look at the bottom sign, it says send resume to alex@japonaischicago.com.Although we don't expect Waffles to be a scene like Japonais, it's encouraging to see that a highly successful restaurant is associated with this project. Oprah is a big Japonais fan, maybe she will now become a Waffles fan?
There has been a lot of haters, showering negativity on the South Loop retail scene lately, but it appears to have some sustained and positive momentum. Let's not forget about The Scout, Tribute, Sanctuary, Overflow Coffee and Trader Joe's also.
It's been a good run. Hopefully all these places open and hopefully residents flock...that is assuming they have a good product!
(Hat tip: VK!)
