Dear Neighbors,
The West Ridge Chamber of Commerce and I are pleased to announce that Starbucks Coffee Company will open another 49th Ward store, its first store in West Ridge, this Friday, May 18th. The store will be located at 2357 West Howard Street (the corner of Western and Howard).
Starbucks is committed to the communities in which it serves - providing neighborhood support through volunteer efforts and in-kind contributions. The new store will employ approximately 16 people from the area and actively partner with local community and non-profit groups.
"We're so excited about opening our new West Rogers Park store," said Bill Gorski, Starbucks store manager. "We look forward to working with local community organizations, getting to know our new neighbors and becoming a part of the fabric of the community."
A Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony with members of the West Ridge Chamber of Commerce will be held on Saturday, May 19th at 10:00 a.m. Following the Ribbon- Cutting Ceremony, the public is invited to attend a Grand Opening Event from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Beverage and pastry samples will be served.
WHERE: 2357 West Howard Street (the corner of Western and Howard) WHEN: Store Opens - Friday, May 18th, 5:30 a.m.
Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony - Saturday, May 19th, 10:00 a.m.
Grand Opening Event - Saturday, May 19th, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Regular Store Hours: 5:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Sunday thru Thursday and
5:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. - Friday and Saturday
The new store features an outdoor patio, wireless internet access, comfortable upholstered furniture, and café tables and chairs. In addition to beverages, the store will carry warm breakfast sandwiches, lunch items, specialty coffee beans, pastries and merchandise, including coffee and espresso machines.
Please join me in welcoming another Starbucks shop to the 49th Ward.
Sincerely,
Joe Moore
BLOGNOTES: I guess a Starbucks ribbon cutting is more important than the 'Common Cup' Grand Opening.
30 comments:
Or maybe you could look at this as a good thing - another new business in Rogers Park, and one with a proven record of success. Who gives a damn what Joe has to say about it (clearly, you don't like him much anyway).
Good god, the pessimism here is astounding. I may be new to the neighborhood (a little less than a year) but trust me, there are many many places that are far worse than Rogers Park. It can't be that hard to see all of the great things here.
It's another business that could be a positive presence in the neighborhood. Adds a few jobs, too.
Are you dumb or just plain stupid, or both Capt Clueless? Don't answer, I'll just have to delete another one of your idiotic comments. It's no wonder you like Joe.
To the newbie Jeff, You don't like the blog, you can move on too. It's my blog, I'll cover what I choose to cover. I didn't force you to read anything.
Craig,
What was wrong with Couch Capitan's comment? All he said was he's in favor of this Starbucks, and that he generally is in favor of development in the neighborhood.
Seriously... What was so bad about it that you had to delete it?
Chitown Rog,
The Cowardly Capt. dissed off-road motorcycling. That in it-self, is cause for banishment.
An outdoor patio at Western & Howard? Wonderful. I live behind that Walgreens so I know the area well. I’m surprised Starbucks would locate there. While you’re sipping your coffee on the patio (wherever that will be) brace yourself to be approached by a lady who needs money for the bus because her car just broke down, a guy who wants to wash your windshield and will start to do it even if you say no, the “basketball team” selling peanut M & M’s, or a deaf lady passing out sign language tutorials for a fee. Pretty soon, if you still have cash left, you can go down to 6900 Western and get a tattoo. If Bernie Stone has his way, there will be a new tattoo factory by the Harley Davidson shop.
Wow Craig. I do like reading your blog, so relax a bit.
If you don't want honest comments and discussion here then my suggestion would be to turn all comments off. The "don't like it? then get out" attitude doesn't do a thing to further the discussion - and that's the whole point isn't it? To talk about things?
We've met, and you seem like a nice and reasonable guy. There's no reason to get hot-headed or reactionary just because someone doesn't agree with you. Yes, I'm aware that this is your blog. The "take my ball and go home" attitude is rather extreme. You put this up here for all to see and talk about... so please, don't get so bent out of shape when people actually do respond with things that don't 100% agree with you.
Craig,
I also agree with Jeff C. Let the discourse run. Yes, it is your playground, but it only further undermines your point of view if you edit the things you don't like.
1st Amendment and all that.
I sure don't agree with some of the points of view I see here. Is it paradise or Vanessa who on their blog writes about the acceptance of roaches (the bugs), litter, and other basically obvious anti-social practices. If I don't like what they are saying I can SKIP their comments myself. Please allow me to enjoy this forum, and decide what I read on my own.
Thank you
the acceptance of living in absolute filth is a sign of MENTAL ILLNESS.
ack!!
you know... i've lived in various apartments from Pilsen to Roger's Park... i've NEVER lived with bugs of ANY KIND.
(well maybe the occasional spider or house fly)
i agree with 'i live here too'.
i know you get a lot of heat from certain people... but heck, reading their 'delusions' can be entertaining. honestly.. i didn't see what was bad with CC's comments.
perhaps you're having a bad day?
((big hug))
cat
Okay, I'll admit it, I'm not having the best day.
Still, it really bothers me the way Joe used the Common Cup as a campaign tool, then spit them out no sooner than a fancy Starbucks comes along. I like Starbucks and all, but really, are they nothing more than the quintessential 'Big Box' of Coffee Shops?
Food for Thought
Starbuck's - "They're as Bad as Wal-Mart"
"One Starbucks worker, a young man in his twenties named Daniel Gross, was getting fed up with the work situation of him and his fellow workers. The cost of living in New York City is extremely high, and Starbucks pays a starting wage of $7.75 (Gross had worked there long enough to get a raise up to $8.09, hardly a significant change.) Furthermore, work hours are inconsistent from week-to-week, and a forty-hour workweek is not at all guaranteed. The long hours of working behind an understaffed counter, standing up, bending down, and handling extremely hot liquids, was also a pressing concern.
When these grievances went unheeded by management, Gross turned to organizing his fellow baristas into a union. Though he earned the anger of the management, he won over his workmates. On May 17th, the Starbucks Workers Union, IWW IU/660, filed for a union certification election.
If you go to the union's website (www.starbucksunion.org), they prominently display their three main demands: "Increased Pay and Wages", "Guaranteed Hours with the Option of Fulltime status", and "An End to Understaffing". As mentioned above, the starting pay at a Starbucks in ultra-expensive New York City is a measly $7.75 per hour, with only the prospect of insignificant raises in sight. As 23-year-old Maureen Medianero (who has worked at Starbucks for almost 2 years) says: "I come to work and I work hard But I'm still hanging on by a shoe string not knowing if I can make ends meet to support my daughter. It's frightening."
The demand for a guarantee of sufficient hours is also crucial for the day-to-day livelihoods of the workers. With such low pay (and $7.75 is significantly less after taxes), things like rent, food, and childcare are put into great jeopardy if they don't receive enough hours. Though Starbucks offers some forms of employee medical coverage, this is pointless if workers are not able to have enough money left over to take advantage of it."
Jeff, it's not that we don't see the great things here. We do. With respect, this isn't really about Starbucks. Another Starbucks among the many already in Chicago, fine. It's the fact that the alderman used a push email (many of us got Craig's post that way) to publicize a "ribbon cutting" for a Starbucks (the second in RP) when the opening of a nice new coffee house, the Common Cup, owned by long time Rogers Park residents and located on Morse ave. (the semi-boarded up "retail" part) didn't seem to rate any special attention from the alderman at all.
Why is one a big deal worthy of special support while the other seems not to be? Why is the alderman using push email to send an advance infomercial about one of the most recognized brands in America but not supporting a well capitalized business that just opened, who also happens to be a locally owned Starbucks competitor? He could just say nothing and let them both sink or swim on their own merits - to me, that would be far preferable to giving public support only to some businesses or only giving support when it is politically advantageous to him. (I know, I know, dream on.)
Jeff, I wonder, during the next aldermanic election will you give a damn what Moore has to say about it?
As a matter of fact, Rebecca, I most certainly did give a damn this last time around and will do so next time too. Please don't make assumptions about my political involvement just as a stab, when you couldn't possibly know what I did or didn't do for the election. That comment of yours certainly wasn't "with respect".
Now I'm hardly a Starbucks fanboy, and will always favor the mom-and-pop locally owned shop over the national chain when given the choice. However, Starbucks isn't nearly as awful as most folks think. I don't like them, but that doesn't mean I'll automatically assume Starbucks always = bad.
If the post wasn't about Starbucks being the root of all evil but was more about Joe Moore, then OK. I can understand and even agree. I'm not one to sing the praises of Joe Moore either. I do try though to be realistic and didn't want to condemn Starbucks (even though I won't be going there personally) just because Joe did something stupid.
When I read this post, it sounded like yet another "Rogers Park sucks" story, pointing out Starbucks vs. Common Cup instead of pointing out Joe Moore vs. reason and logic.
As I said, if the intended meaning was that Joe Moore mucked up, OK. I agree. If it was that the devil has arrived in the form of a Starbucks, kicking the Common Cup along the way... well, that seems pretty pessimistic to me. One of a majority of pessimistic stories here. Hence my original comment.
Question is the Comon Cup and Starbucks unioned or do they get a pass in the 49th like the developers-
Perhaps Joe Moore is so excited about Starbucks because of the social cues it suggests. Starbucks never goes into an area without thoroughly researching the local economics first. It is seen as a harbinger of development -- having one come to an area marks it as economically desirable and "up-and-coming." A Starbucks on Howard Street proper is something quite exciting.
While I always prefer to patronize independent coffee shops, as of now there is nothing open on that stretch of Howard. I will definitely be going to the new Starbucks, and if it feels safe and polite I will probably spend a lot of time there.
I'm glad for any good business that opens up here, even though I have a special love for places like Common Cup.
It's not that I hate Starbucks. I'm glad to see them on Howard St. But, frankly, the people in their headquarters don't give a damn one way or the other about some little local pol coming to a ribbon cutting- it is strictly a cold-blooded business proposition to them. It's good news for the nabe in that Starbucks would not locate there if they felt the climate was inhospitable and dangerous, but a local person of importance blessing them does not warm their hearts the way it would a small business owner who has struggled to realize her dream and put everything she has and possible a lot she doesn't have on the line to get her fine business up and running.
So, no disrespect to Starbucks, but it was unforgivably rude of Moore to ignore a local CONSTITUENT while courtseying to a large national chain whose management couldn't care less about him, and has no stake in whether he stays or goes.
Western and Howard isn't Joe's ward is it? It's Bernie's correct? So the real issue at hand is why is Joe welcoming and writing press releases for businesses out of his ward rather than in his ward? Hmmmm!!!!
I think it IS Joe's ward, though my memories of the ward map are foggy. This ward reaches pretty far into West Ridge and down into Edgewater, while the area south of Pratt and west of Sheridan is in the 4Oth. Or, at least, most of it is.
I don't understand the logic dictating the determination of ward boundaries, but will venture the guess that they are contrived to include or exclude particular demographics, for reasons that serve the local aldermen politically.
and the local ethnic configurations.
The Corner of Howard/Western IS the Ward boundary.
I feel it IS INEXCUSABLE that JoMo pumps the Starbucks, but seemingly doesn't offer the same level of support for the local mom/pop common cup which located in a pretty tough spot, and assuredly suffered MANY obstacles to get to the "Grand Opening" stage. The City of Chicago does not facilitate, and in fact places many, many obstacles, business development.
But hey here is the good news. IN THE LAST WEEK OR SO FOUR, YES FOUR NEW BUSINESSES HAVE OPENED THE DOORS IN ROGERS PARK!!!!
We have two new dog boarding places, and two new coffee shops. Three of these are "small" businesses, and only one is a corporate conglomerate. All in all excellent news.
Why does the Alderliar speak favorably about a Starbucks but speaks no about those other businesses opening up? I suggest you check him campaign committee's D-2 report when it is filed in July. I suspect the answers will be found there.
Actually, it is nice for him to let you all know where the Alderliar will be tommorrow. You can spend the rest of this day getting ready to greet this political parasite in an appropriate manner.
starbucks,
yawn.....
common cup,
much cooler
Jeff, I didn't mean to make assumptions about your political involvement. You said that you've lived in the ward less than a year, so I guess I did. I apologize if I insulted you; it was unintentional.
Anyway, my point was that Joe mucked up. I never said it was bad that a Starbucks was opening or that Starbucks is necessarily better or worse than a locally owned business. I meant to point out that it was unseemly in a ward with such a terrible track record of retail development for an alderman to publicize the opening of a national franchise and neglect the opening of a quality locally owned business who is a competitor, especially when the locally owned business has taken the risk of opening in one of the most challenging sites in the ward, Morse Ave. Like it or not, what Moore says has influence over retail development, from zoning and land use to those millions of taxpayer dollars we evidently need to earmark to streescape Morse, supposedly to attract quality retail there.
I think Joe should either welcome all new businesses into the ward equally or just stay out of it and let them sink or swim. Or if we had a truly independent, functional chamber of commerce, they could welcome new business into the ward and help support and even develop them. To my mind the two latter alternatives would be preferable. I think what Moore did in this email is inappropriate, dangling "partnerships" with unnamed non-profits (whatever this might mean) and promises of "approximate" numbers of jobs notwithstanding.
Thanks Rebecca, and point taken.
So the question I have now for everyone is: has anyone here said anything to Joe about this? I emailed his office yesterday asking for some clarification on why he made such a fuss about Starbucks' opening (a business that will thrive without a single word of promotion from him) but isn't doing the same for Common Cup (a new biz that needs all the exposure it could possibly get).
I don't expect a reply, but if more than just a couple of us email/call to say the same thing it might be enough of a nudge for him. Clearly enough people are upset about it and commenting, but that's somewhat pointless if it's not reaching the person who needs to hear it most.
Thanks for accepting my apology and your understanding Jeff. Your idea to call Moore is a good one, especially if these calls come from newer residents to the ward and/or Moore's supporters. I'm not sure now effective such calls would be from those known to him as not having supported his bid for re-election. Taking constructive criticism from constituants gracefully has never really been one of his hallmarks. Moore is also not known for responding to constituant calls and notes in a timely way, but according to his apologists he plans to get back to us more effectively from now on. Time will tell.
In the mean time, some of the stuff posted on this (and other) blogs is probably reaching them, claims to "never touch the stuff" aside. It's local social media, so I'd think they'd check from time to time simply for information gathering purposes, even if they despise most of the bloggers.
Another Starbucks? Aren't there enough of them around the city in addition to the one on Columbia and Sheridan and the one inside Dominick's on Howard Street? Yes, RP always needs new businesses, but I'd like to see support of the independent business owners more than the corporate behemoths.
Well... It's just a couple hours after my last comment and I have a response from Joe Moore's office:
---
"ward49@cityofchicago.org" to me
4:56 pm (12 minutes ago)
Jeff, thanks for your e-mail and input, if you stop by Common Cup ask the owner how much Alderman Moore help them get started. When Common Cup announce they will have a grand opening the Alderman will give them as much attention as anyone else who opens a new business in the community.
Thanks,
Wayne Frazier
49th Ward
---
Aside from the fact this reply makes it sound as though english is Wayne's second language, it's an answer.. albeit a terse one.
And, for the record, when I stop into Common Cup again tomorrow I will be asking about what Joe's done for them.
It's sounding quite possible that folks jumped the gun with all of this, and that Common Cup isn't being ignored... they just haven't asked. And I assure you Starbuck's marketing made damn sure to notify the right people. Did Common Cup make all the same rounds? As the little guys, I don't see how it would be possible.
Maybe I'm wrong, I'll find out tomorrow.
Either way, for this issue or anything else, it should be worth a few minutes of one's time to check the facts from the source(s) before joining the bandwagon. Assign blame where it's due, not just where it's convenient. I really hope that I'm not the only one out of everyone commenting here that actually bothered to ask.
Well, a few thoughts here. First, I guess it depends on what Wayne Frazier's definition of an opening is. The Common Cup already celebrated their opening day and had big signs in their windows announcing their opening well in advance. Perhaps Frazier means Moore will only come to a "grand" opening? I'll give them points for a quicker than usual response, however ambiguous its message.
Second, a staff member of the alderman suggesting that the public ask small business people to explain whether and what Moore did to help them seems somewhat inappropriate on his part. It will probably just make them clam up or say something nice since it sort of puts them on the spot. Small business people don't feel that free to express negative opinions about the alderman. The reasons should be fairly obvious. The owners of the Common Cup did graciously acknowledge the help that Devcorp provided in finding space for their business - perhaps this is what Frazier is thinking of. But hopefully Moore did do something extra to help them beyond just mention them in passing at some candidate forums..or at least, let's hope he didn't get in the way.
I guess I feel that given how few new quality retail businesses open here each year, the burden on making the rounds shouldn't be on the business owners. Small businesses have enough challenges without bending over backwards to local leaders to get them to come by the morning of their opening day. You'd think the guy would just be interested, but whatever.
But I agree that fact checking is a good idea. I couldn't go over there myself the morning of their opening day, so I can't say with certainty. But I know people who did. No Moore sightings, according to them. Maybe Moore had a really good reason for not being there. If he did, it's too bad Frazier couldn't tell you since he has evidently been given responsibility for public communication.
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