Discussions between restaurants along 53rd Street, the Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce and Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th) discussing a vehicle road closure to accommodate expanded outdoor dining have stalled.
Ald. Sophia King (4th) said her ordinance raising the city's guaranteed minimum wage to $14 an hour for most workers, which goes into effect today, benefits both workers and employers through increased stability at the workplace, regardless of today's tough economic climate.
Hyde Bark, a North Kenwood dog-walking, cat-care and pet-sitting business, has received a $50,000 grant from the city to refurbish a garage into a doggy daycare and boarding facility.
The 61st Street Outdoor Farmers Market opened Saturday morning with new “Covid Era Customer Policies” and practices. Masks are required for entry and pedestrian flow is managed to maintain social distancing.
The tightrope walk between public health and economic reality continues for Hyde Park-Kenwood's restaurants as they begin to offer indoor dining, albeit at just 25% of capacity.
It has been a long time coming, but Ingrid Cheatham has reopened her spa, Posh Lash and Laser, in Hyde Park, eight months after having to leave her previous storefront in the South Loop.
Special Service Area (SSA) 61, the business improvement district branded Downtown Hyde Park, announced a rebate program for businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic, with free window advertisements also available soon.
Chicago will enter Phase 4 of its pandemic response plan on Friday, and Mayor Lori Lightfoot is allowing restaurant dining rooms to open for the first time since March, albeit with 25% capacity, a maximum of 50 people per room. Tables must be six feet apart with parties of 10 or fewer people.
Some businesses are open but others remain shuttered three weeks after looters stormed two shopping centers in Kenwood and a few targeted stores in Hyde Park.
After receiving the go-ahead from the state legislature and City Council, local bars and restaurants are planning to sell mixed drinks to-go, a boon to an industry that has suffered terribly in the coronavirus shut-down.
Numerous unanswered questions — costs, scheduling, participation and logistics among them — are delaying a decision on whether to close 53rd Street to facilitate outdoor dining.
While many remained closed or only open for takeout, certain Hyde Park restaurants, barbershops, shops and businesses opened with expanded services on June 3, as the city entered the next phase of life amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite the protests and violence that have wracked the city in recent days, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Tuesday that Chicago will enter Phase 3 of its recovery from the Covid-19 shutdown.
Looters targeted strip malls at 51st Street and Cottage Grove Avenue and 47th Street and Lake Park Avenue early Monday morning, as the mayhem that beset downtown Chicago dispersed out over the Windy City, leaving dazed business owners and volunteers to pick up the pieces and take stock of da…
Anger over the police killing of George Floyd continued to boil over during the weekend, spreading into Hyde Park early Sunday morning and erupting again in the afternoon.
Commissioners approved the 2020 budget for Special Service Area (SSA) 61, or Downtown Hyde Park, on Tuesday, allocating funds for district marketing to support small businesses amid the coronavirus recession.
Outdoor dining will likely be allowed at some point in June, though restaurant owners in Hyde Park say operating under strict public health guidelines will be logistically difficult and hard to pull off financially.
Alds. Sophia King (4th), Leslie Hairston (5th) and Jeanette Taylor (20th) voted for ordinances Mayor Lori Lightfoot introduced to protect workers impacted by the pandemic and to extend expired city licenses for businesses into the summer at the May 20 City Council meeting.
The city issued a permit for a new Taco Bell restaurant on 53rd Street on May 13, clearing the way for $150,000 in renovations.
Piccolo Mondo, 1642 E. 56th St., will open its bakery to the public this weekend while maintaining social distancing guidelines.
In the fall of 2006, Aaron Rodriguez felt very disconnected when he enrolled at the University of Chicago, where a small fraction of the student body is Black. So he built a network of friends among people he met on music message boards.
Illinois nursing home workers represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare union reached an agreement with the Illinois Association of Health Care Facilities, forestalling a strike that would have begun on Friday.
Four years after the planning and engagement processes began, the redevelopment of the Michael Reese site will likely break ground next year and be completed in 2026, with community spaces and 20% of new housing guaranteed affordable alongside a 500,000-square-foot medical research facility …
Rico Nance forgives the two gunmen who robbed his restaurant, the Litehouse Whole Food Grill, on April 29, but it stings that they targeted a successful Black-owned business known for giving free meals to needy people — especially since one of the robbers had availed himself of that generosi…
The Hyde Park Farmers Market has been cancelled for this year, after a unanimous vote of the Special Service Area No. 61 (Downtown Hyde Park) commissioners.
The Hyde Park Bar Louie location, 5500 S. Shore Dr., has closed permanently, according to a sign posted on the door.
Like small businesses everywhere, Trez Pugh's chain of Sip & Savor coffee shops in Bronzeville and Hyde Park have suffered from the coronavirus pandemic. His sales have decreased 65-70%.
The University of Chicago has awarded $112,000 in rent relief and $110,000 in operating grants, $2,500-$7,500 apiece, to commercial tenants who rent from the university's Commercial Real Estate Operations (CREO).
Bill Payne, the Polsky Center's new executive director for science and technology, said the business incubator intends accelerate development with patents and business partnership.
At the beginning of the week, the University of Chicago’s Office of Civic Engagement (OCE) announced a $2 million relief program across nine South Side community areas to help combat the effects of the coronavirus outbreak. By Friday, a university spokesperson told the Herald, the OCE had al…
Soon after taking nonprofit status, the Seminary Co-op Bookstores is in survival mode, attempting to weather the sharp economic downturn and storefront closures expected to wipe out $1 million in revenue through the end of June.
After closing his physical store and holding an initial call with other business owners, Silver Room owner Eric Williams is planning weekly "Connecting Community" meetings every Thursday at 1 p.m. for residents to hear from experts on the evolving coronavirus pandemic and share space togethe…
A group of Mac Properties tenants announced Tuesday that they were beginning a rent strike on April 1, refusing to pay rent until their demands are met. Meanwhile, the property management company and landlord sent out its own email to tenants Monday, stating that it will “work with each resi…
Government and private-sector officials explained resources available to local business owners confronting the rapidly changing economic conditions brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Sophy Hotel is housing University of Chicago Medical Center staff for free through at least April 17.
The Hyde Park Garden Fair Committee has cancelled the event, scheduled for May 15-16, on what would have been its 61st year.
Mona Oommen, who struggles with a chronic back problem, has been taking Pilates mat classes at Chaturanga Holistic Fitness in Hyde Park for eight years.
As the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc on the economy, the South East Chicago Commission (SECC) has listed online resources to benefit local businesses and is planning virtual business consultations.
In response to the coronavirus outbreak, grocery stores around the neighborhood are modifying their hours to accommodate senior shoppers and other vulnerable populations. The Herald will update the below list with any new information.
After a two-year run, Vanille Patisserie has closed its storefront in Hyde Park, 5229 S. Harper Court, but the owner is looking for ways to maintain a presence in Hyde Park or the South Side.
Surrounded by supporters, friends and family members, Mathnasium's owner and executive director Laurie Bryant (center, holding scissors) celebrates Grand Opening of the new Mathnasium,1326 E. 53rd St., by cutting a ceremonial red ribbon. Mathasium is a math learning center for grades 1-12. A…
A bright golden accent wall gives an idea about what will open at 1644 E. 53rd St. next month: 14 Parish Restaurant & Rhum Bar, with plans for Caribbean-inspired cuisine, more than 100 rums and “Havana nights” outdoor seating and music this summer.
The South East Chicago Commission has increased its staff to address evolving needs of the Hyde Park community.
The math tutoring company Mathnasium will open its first Hyde Park branch on Pi Day: Friday, March 14.
Three entrepreneurs representing construction, finance and business services discussed the sensitivities that accompany being out LGBT African Americans in their work at an LGBT Chamber of Commerce of Illinois-sponsored forum Thursday night at the Connect Gallery, furthermore stressing the n…
A year after returning home to Chicago from Houston, Shakeeta Addae knew she wanted to start styling hair in Hyde Park.
At the monthly Downtown Hyde Park business district improvement meeting, representatives for Wexford, the developer of Harper Court Phase II, said the project will create 600 permanent jobs as well as 500 construction jobs.
