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June 2010
Before and After in the South Suburbs
By Dennis Rodkin
Jim McClelland, the CEO of the Tinley Park–based Mack Industries, is helping some hard-hit south suburbs recover from the foreclosure crisis by creating some well-equipped and well-managed rental housing for residents of those towns. A longtime builder, McClelland began the project about five years ago... Read more
Put a Fork In It
By Catey Sullivan
Eat, eat, eat—then rest
The Taste of Chicago continues through Sunday, July 4th and, in conjunction with the annual gastropalooza’s Fourth of July finale, the Talbott Hotel is offering the appropriately (if unimaginatively) named Tastes of Chicago package... Read more
Chicago Says Goodbye to Velvet Lounge Owner and Jazz Icon Fred Anderson
By Mark Loehrke
The legendary tenor saxophonist Fred Anderson died this past Thursday, June 24th, after a heart attack, at the age of 81. Large crowds of friends, musicians, and longtime admirers will turn out to pay respects during his memorial service tonight at Leak & Sons Funeral Home at 7838 South Cottage Grove Avenue (the wake is at 5 p.m.; the funeral service starts at 6 p.m.)... Read more
Designer Opens Shop in Ukrainian Village
By Bridget Maiellaro
Store by Les
Lesley Timpe, the owner of a popular five-year old clothing and hat line called Squasht by Les, says her decision to extend the online and wholesale business by opening a retail operation was spontaneous... Read more
West is Best!
 

How many shops make a strip? We’re not sure what the rule is on that one, but the openings of SG Grand (1822 
W. Grand Ave., 630-816-9006) and Buckingham I+D (1820 W. Grand Ave., 312-933-8359) last week are proof enough that the stretch of Grand Avenue from Wood Street to Western Avenue is turning into a destination. The main cluster hovers around Damen, were the pioneering mid-century dealer Modern Times first staked its ground. Always-stylin’ Post27 has become something of a designphile hub; and the salvage shop Urban Remains recently opened a showroom (at 1819 W. Grand Ave.) just west of it. MCM Grand (lots of 1960s mod and Hollywood Regency-style stuff) is yet further west, along with its sister shop Uber Modern. Up next: The Painted Lady, a painted antique furniture shop that currently has a space in Bucktown, is opening another location on Grand August 1. We’ll keep you posted.
    Haven’t had a chance to scope out the new kids on the block? SG Grand (top two photos) is an urban outpost of Geneva’s Scentimental Gardens, offering a sophisticated-country aesthetic, and filled to the rim with rustic lighting, lovely artwork, updated traditional furniture, bold accessories, and more. Ellen DeGeneres was one of the shop’s first customers (she was in town during its opening week, taping a special)! Next door, interior designer Julia Edelmann’s spare showroom, Buckingham I+D (bottom two photos), has more of a gallery vibe and features edgier combinations of contemporary, ethnic, and antique pieces (it’s open by appointment only).
Time to carve out some weekend hours to cruise the new strip.

—GINA BAZER

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Watching the Crosstown Classic at Cork & Kerry at the Park
Despite dropping the final game of the series, it was the White Sox who emerged victorious, four games to two overall, when the Crosstown Classic—excuse us, the BP Crosstown Cup—wrapped Sunday on the South Side. Sox fans, though, have another reason to cheer this season: Cork & Kerry, Beverly’s long-popular Irish pub and one of our 100 best bars, has opened a second location within spitting distance of the Cell... Read more
Amazing Bike
By Gina Bazer
Those of you who made it to the Object Society party a week and a half ago probably remember the hip warehouse atmosphere and the incredible furniture by Jason Lewis, Michael Koehler, Michael Dreeben, and others. Read more
Coach DiNardo Executes a Switch Play
By Dennis Rodkin
List Price: $1.5 million
Sale Price: $1.25 million
The Property: Two years ago, this 13-room house in Western Springs seemed like a good fit for the former college football coach Gerry DiNardo, who was moving with his family from southern Indiana to Chicago... Read more
Whom Did Blago Hero-Worship? Not Teddy Roosevelt or FDR—Try Richard Nixon
By Carol Felsenthal
When Rod was at the top of his game in 2003, just after he was elected governor—and when fantasies of the Oval Office danced in his head—he told me that his favorite presidents were Abe Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt. But the memories Blago shared with me during our interviews showed something different: from boyhood on, he was obsessed with Richard Nixon... Read more