French Market Autumn Relocation Worries Hillgrove Businesses

The rebuilding and resurfacing of Hillgrove Avenue (from Hampton Avenue east to Wolf Road) this fall will force the downtown French Market to return to its original location in front of Village Hall, a move that is far from popular with some Hillgrove businesses.

The market will seal off the 700 block of Hillgrove for eight hours each Thursday for three months starting in August and will sit directly in front of four businesses: Olivia Jean Salon, Zika’s Nails, Personal Touch and, perhaps most contentiously, Wally’s Garage.

The move sits especially poorly with Wally Kloog, owner and proprietor of the garage, who estimates that he lost $18,000 in business during the French Market’s first season, when it blocked the entrance to his garage for one day a week. While the village has made access possible through a back entrance, Kloog said cars quickly clog the entrance, and market vendors may block it as well—one of many complaints he offered about the market.

“It just doesn’t fit the character of the town,” Kloog said. “They’re selling food with no refrigeration. People walk their dogs past the bakery goods… Western Springs is an upscale community, why would something like that be appropriate?”

Leslie Cahill, general manager for French Market of Chicago, LLC, said that she “loves” Kloog despite his frequent complaints, and that her company doesn't like  “to stir the pot,” but defended the company as well. “It’s a very diversified market,” she said. “And we don’t work with resellers or low-quality material."

When the French Market (operated by the company Bensidoun USA) debuted in Western Springs in the summer of 2008 with an 8-year contract, it occupied the 700 block of Hillgrove because work was being done on the Metra train platform. At the time, the owners were similarly unhappy.

The market was moved to its current location in front of Tower Green (900 block of Hillgrove) for its second season, between Grand and Lawn avenues, where it does not obstruct any businesses, but does block about 20 parking spaces. It closes off Hillgrove between Grand and Lawn avenues.

“As soon as the streets are repaired, we will move back," Cahill said. "I know if you’re impacted it can feel like the universe, but it’s a very small window of time and we are doing everything we can to make sure that [shops] can do business.”

But for now, said Pati O’Malley, a hairdresser at Olivia Jean Salon, the easternmost storefront on the block, “Our main concern is parking. We have handicapped people who come in and need close access… And if they close the streets down at noon and we have somebody in here, how are they going to get out? And Thursdays, there’s like six of us working. Where do we all park?”

The relationship between the French Market and many permanent Western Springs businesses has always been, at best, strained and, at worst, antagonistic. Several businesses joined together to oppose the market upon its inception, claiming it would hurt their business. Joe Lane, the president of the Western Springs Business Association, declared that he has “already said all I’m going to say” about the market.

Village Director of Community Development Marty Scott is no stranger to the controversy, and said he understands the businesses’ displeasure with the market and its relocation. “It isn’t a perfect situation,” Scott admitted. “I can understand how they are concerned. We do everything to promote the fact that they’re still open.”

Scott emphasized that the market is popular with residents who want a more vibrant Western Springs downtown, and that the relocation is unavoidable if the resurfacing project is to be done.

“Centralizing it… gives it a good point of promotion, a good area of visibility for the community to know it’s there, because the downtown is so well-travelled,” Scott said. “And hopefully people will also visit our local businesses.”

Scott also made this point in a memo to business owners that read, “Hopefully, your business can capitalize on the increased foot traffic.” However, this particular selling point doesn’t placate concerned parties.

“That might be all right if I were selling pretzels or soda pop, but I’m selling brake jobs and clutches and water pumps,” said Kloog. “Somebody is not going to say, ‘Gee, I think I’ll go see what the French Market is about, oh, and look, Wally’s selling water pumps. I’ll take one of those, too!’”

Tish Rothschild of the florist shop Stems and Twigs is one of the most vocal opponents of the market. The changed location will not block her store, but she called the idea that more foot traffic would increase her business “insulting.”

O’Malley, of the salon, tries to be a bit more receptive. “It very possibly can [benefit through walk-ins],” she said. “But the chances of that versus the chances of us losing clients or losing business—for myself, I work on commission, and Thursday is my busiest day. If I lose my business, that’s a whole lot less in my paychecks.

“This building, our strip here, seems not to be worth much to the village. They don’t seem to pay much attention down here... I understand that it [the market] brings in revenue. I truly do. But you also want to take care of the people who are here, and our concern is that they are not listening to the businesses.”