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Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Popcorn shop among a flurry of new Waukegan businesses; ‘People are feeding off each other'
Name a flavor and Gerdy's Gourmet Popcorn owner Nina Davis likely knows how to make it into popcorn. Davis, who opened a retail store on Grand Avenue in Waukegan on June 4, spent more than three years making popcorn in her home and business incubators. She sold it at events and got orders from a variety of places. Recognizing popcorn is primarily a snack food, Davis said its popularity stems from its flexibility. She said there are multiple flavors and then variations on a theme. There are a lot of ways to satisfy customers. Selling traditional flavors like buttered, caramel, cheese and the company's trademark canary yellow and pineberry blue, Davis continually looks for ways to make something a little different, offering customers continued variety. 'It can be soft or crispy. It can be sweet, sour or savory. It can be cheesy or garlicky,' Davis said. 'It can be anything you want it to be. We have Oreo cookie popcorn,' she added, holding up a large bag. 'We can mix and match.' Gerdy's Gourmet Popcorn is one of 14 new businesses to open in the past nine weeks in Waukegan, defying nationwide uncertainty with a sense of confidence and local support. Michael Lachowicz, a chef with French training, operates Aboyer Bistro in Winnetka. He started a fast-casual Mexican eatery — Fondita Miguel — in that suburb late last year. He opened a second Fondita Miguel in Waukegan with a ribbon-cutting on May 30. Uncertainty is not a concern. 'We're doing what works,' Lachowicz said, referring to the Waukegan location inside the Caliber Gun Range on Washington Street. 'I have confidence in what we're doing, and in what (gun range owner) John Galioto is doing.' Working with mentors as she moved from her kitchen to Post Market Place in downtown Waukegan, Davis said she was schooled by Ken Barber on the ins and outs of developing a business plan. She has confidence now, and is ready to brave uncertainty. 'If you have something good behind you, you have to be willing to take a risk,' she said, 'People aren't going to stop eating or snacking. If you have the drive, go for it.' Dr. Michael J. Reed, the chair of the board of the Waukegan Chamber of Commerce, said the flurry of new businesses in the city is prompting more to open. There is collaboration among a lot of businesses helping each other. It is contagious, he said. 'We have a lot of hidden gems, and a lot of organizations are collaborating to make Waukegan grow,' Reed said. 'People want to be involved in that special process. People are feeding off each other.' Mayor Sam Cunningham goes from one ribbon-cutting to another as the businesses open. They include restaurants, retail shops, hair salons and more. He is not surprised by the newfound vibrancy. 'All of this stems from our concept of Waukegan,' Cunningham said. 'These businesses are not only opening, but are supported by the city. We want to make sure they have the resources to be sustainable. Part of our job is to partner with them and the Waukegan Chamber of Commerce.' Kevin Considine, the president and CEO of Lake County Partners, said in a text that the explosion of new commercial concerns in Waukegan is a positive sign showing several areas of strength. 'It's a testament to our labor force, overall strength as a market and the hard work by the city and others to make it happen,' Considine said. Alex Perez opened Tito's Pizza on Jackson Street with a ribbon-cutting on May 28. His research was basic, as he heard from his neighbors that there was no place nearby to get pizza. He believes fresh ingredients and community support will overcome any uncertainty. 'Nothing is frozen,' Perez said. 'Everything is fresh. We're busy every day. We are getting a lot of support from the community.' Other new businesses opening since March 29, or scheduled to open soon in Waukegan, include V's Studio Beauty & Education, Post Market Place Café, Emperess Beauty Studio, Botanero Latino sports bar and restaurant, Forastero's Tako, La Chuparosa, Antojitos Food Tureck, Liguez Brunch and Family & Crab.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
OK Elementary grew from 1877 one-room schoolhouse. Why Wichita district plans to close it
Editor's note: Before voters decide on a $450 million school bond issue on Feb. 25, The Eagle is profiling many of the schools affected. Read more profiles and find continuing coverage of the bond issue election here. OK Elementary School is so old that the Wichita school district's historians can't say for sure how it got its name. It was established in 1877 as a one-room school house in what is now known as the Delano Township, west of Wichita's original city limits. In the early years of Sedgwick County, the small school house was a major landmark in what is now northwest Wichita. As the city of Wichita expanded west in the 1950s and annexed the land around OK, many of the houses in the area were sold with advertisements in local newspapers, including The Eagle, that listed the school as a selling point. Records show 'OK School' also served as a regular meeting space for prohibitionists, Republican Party events and other civic meetings throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s. The original building was torn down in 1924. The existing building was originally constructed in 1952, and OK was absorbed into the Wichita school district in 1957. The school has gone through several additions, tear-downs and rebuilds in the past 100 years, according to the school district's 'A History of Wichita Public Schools Buildings' compiled by Nina Davis in 1978 and updated by Sara Lomax in 1996. It was fully renovated and expanded in 1976. It was again expanded with funding from bond issues in 2000 and 2008. Address: 1607 N. West St. Size: 50,121 square feet of building space on 6.179 acres. Built: 1952 with additions in 1976, 2002 and 2014. Enrollment (2023-2024): 276, with 73.9% economically disadvantaged, 13.1% English Language Learners (students who are not fluent in English language) and 21.7% students with disabilities. Racial demographics: 44.2% white, 38.8% Hispanic, 12% multiracial, 5.1% African American or American Indian/Alaska Native. Consultants targeted OK — along with three other elementary schools — for closure based on enrollment trends and its proximity to schools that are to be rebuilt if the bond issue passes. Wichita Public Schools wants to move to a 'newer and fewer' buildings approach to education, putting smaller neighborhood schools with small enrollment numbers, such as OK, on the chopping block. A 2024 feasibility study found OK had an FCI of 0.75 — meaning the cost to maintain the building over the next five years was estimated at 75% of the cost to rebuild it with a new building of the same size — and an enrollment of 276 students, which was under the 350-student threshold the consultants chose as a standard. The building had a utilization rate of 67%. OK was expanded through a 2000 bond issue that upgraded and replaced infrastructure, added 11 classrooms, built new FEMA shelter multipurpose room and kitchen. An expansion after the 2008 bond issue included a new library, three more classrooms, a controlled access entry, remodeled art classroom, renovated student support spaces, upgraded restrooms, remodeled for special education restrooms and fire, bus and student pick-up lanes. The district was unable to provide a detailed cost breakdown for how much money went to OK in the past two bond issues. Students from OK would be reassigned to Black, 1045 N. High, and McLean, 2277 N. Marigold Lane, according to the facilities master plan approved by the Wichita school board in 2024. The school district plans to rebuild Black and McLean if the 2025 bond issue passes. McLean would also take in some students from Woodland and Pleasant Valley elementary schools. The master plan shows students from OK could face transportation challenges if they currently walk to school. The school is currently an average distance of 1.79 miles from students' homes. The average distance from students to their reassigned schools would be 2.17 miles, the plan says. OK could be closed by the end of the decade, according to a timeline in the district's master plan that's guiding the bond issue. It is expected to coincide with the completion of a tear-down and rebuild of McLean, which is scheduled to be completed in 2028, and Black, which is expected to be completed in 2029. Luke Newman, facilities director of Wichita Public Schools, indicated that the district plans to close OK — and three other elementary schools — whether the bond passes or not. 'The master plan is the master plan, and we have to move forward with it, with or without a bond,' Newman said. 'And so what will happen is we'll still need to move forward with the building retirements, but we would just have to do it without the rebuilds on the other side of it.'
