By chicago-pipeline at October 24, 2012 | 4:23 pm | Print
WICKER PARK ? At the end of the month Dashrathlal Patel will vacate the tiny, 80-square-foot concession stand at the Damen Blue Line El stop (1588 N. Damen Ave.) where he has worked six days a week for the last six years, to make room for a new tenant who will pay more rent to the CTA.
Patel told DNAinfo Chicago he purchased his concession stand from a prior owner after seeing a newspaper ad. He said he has to give it up, but does not yet have plans for the future.
Patel has stocked his stand based on customer feedback. By 9 a.m. on a recent rainy morning, he?d already sold three umbrellas. Over the past few months, he began selling mini deodorants and five-hour energy drinks.
?I know what things to buy, what my customers want,? he said.
Patel told DNAinfo Chicago a shoe repair shop will be moving into his space. He said the owner of that business offered to pay $1,200 monthly rent to the CTA. For the past few years, Patel has paid $500 a month.
?I offered to give more money [in rent] but they wouldn?t say how much they wanted. Rent will go to the highest bidder. I asked to be part of that bid and submitted mine,? he said.
Patel estimated his stand has generated $200 to $250 in daily sales.
In addition to Patel?s spot at Damen, five other vendor spaces inside CTA stations, including a 199-square-foot space at the nearby California Blue Line stop, are listed as available for rent on the Jones Lang LaSalle website.? In August 2008, the real estate company began an exclusive five-year consulting deal with the city to handle leasing for CTA spaces, according to a report in REjournals.com.
Brian Carroll, from Jones Lang LaSalle?s Public Institute Sales Department, declined to comment on new tenants at the Damen stop, but said the bidding process is still open.
?Essentially what has happened is the CTA is putting out spaces they have on month-to-month leases for bid, to get longer-term leases. I?ve spoken with [Patel] several times to get him to bid. In terms of the shoe repair, it was a misunderstanding to say the least. We are not closing the bidding process until Nov. 5 and then the CTA will award the space,? Carroll said.
Carroll would not say how many bids have been submitted thus far, but said that the process would wrap up Nov. 5 for all of the CTA assets listed on the Jones Lang LaSalle site. Carroll added that selecting a tenant is not just a ?financially driven? decision.
?We don?t just award [the space] to who gives us the most money. CTA is a public transit organization and they consider five components in the application process, like business experience. How does your use serve ridership? What?s your community involvement?? he said.
The CTA board meets the second Wednesday of every month. Carroll could not provide a timeline of when the space will be re-leased and could not confirm whether the CTA board would evaluate bids at November?s meeting.
The second Wednesday is Nov. 14. Patel?s two-year city business license expires Nov. 15 and he said he decided not to renew his two licenses, which cost $910.
Meanwhile, if anyone is in the market for a soda cooler, Patel said he would be selling his, as-is, along with all of his fixtures, beginning next week.
?
Alisa Hauser
for DNAinfo.com/Chicago.?? coming soon!
?
Bucktown Business Featured Neighborhoods Residential Updates Wicker Park
calipari national archives brock lesnar kentucky jayhawks wwe wrestlemania oakland shooting
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.