LINCOLN SQUARE — The sign in the window of Edvan's Foods tells the story: "Everything must go. 50% off."
Owner Ed Van is unloading what's left of his stock at bargain prices before closing up for good on Sunday, Sept. 15. If you need travel-sized toothpaste, now would be the time to get it.
"It's too much. The rent's too high," Van said of a recently-raised $4,500 monthly lease.
Van took over the corner storefront at 4631 N. Lincoln Ave. in 2011, replacing the Happy Food Spot. The convenience store, in its various incarnations, has long been Lincoln Square residents' go-to place "in a pinch" for food, drinks and various sundries.
Van had little to say about the future of the space, or his own plans.
"I'll be OK," he said.