EDGEWATER — A national mattress store chain could be taking over the former True Nature Foods spot, making it the fourth mattress and bedding store in a one-mile strip of North Broadway in Edgewater, the building's owner said Wednesday.
Peter Spyropoulos, owner of Devon Realty Inc. which owns the property where the health food store sat at 6034 North Broadway, said while Mattress Firm had not officially signed the lease, the business had completed a letter of intent and both parties were in talks negotiating the terms of the lease.
Once signed, the store would fill up the entire store space and could begin renovations and open in two or three months, Spyropoulos said.
Jennifer Hackman, economic development manager for the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce, said that while her organization understood companies needed to work out plans that help them meet business goals, pedestrian surveys have shown areas along Broadway to be bustling with foot traffic — something she'd like to see a new business take advantage of.
"The Chamber is looking to encourage the kinds of businesses that can take advantage of and build on that street level activity, such as a bistro, a bakery, a maker space or even apparel," Hackman said.
As groups in the neighborhood try to fill vacant storefronts along Broadway in an effort to bolster local businesses and attract people to the area, such as the new Whole Foods across from the former True Nature location, the idea of an additional mattress store has come up before.
Linze Rice says neighbors have a different idea for the vacant spots:
The currently empty interior where True Nature Foods set up shop before moving to Rogers Park. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]
In December 2013, Sleepy's, another mattress store chain, signed a lease at 6205 North Broadway, a mile north of Sleepy's first Edgewater digs at 5300 North Broadway.
The northern Sleepy's location is directly across the street from SleepRite, a mom-and-pop discount mattress and furniture store at the corner of Broadway and Granville.
In November, Joe Padorr, a leasing agent with Seneca Real Estate Group, said he'd been in talks with a national mattress chain for the historic former Broadway Bank building right down the block from True Nature, at 5960 North Broadway.
The mattress firm at that time ultimately decided to pass on the landmark building.
Mattress stores are, surprisingly, dominating real estate in major cities across America, much like larger retail chains like Subway and Starbucks, according to Bloomberg.
High profit margins, optimism that opening additional stores will correlate to a stronger economy and the visible presence of new businesses for residents all play into the trend, Bloomberg found.
In Chicago, there are at least 20 Sleepy's locations and between 24-25 Mattress Firm spots, including an already existing Mattress Firm location at 5224 North Broadway.
For comparison, there are only 10 Whole Foods and 14 Targets within city limits.
Ken Murphy, co-chief operating officer for Mattress Firm, said in an email to DNAinfo that "everyone needs a good night's rest, and that people buying mattresses today view their choice as an important investment.
“Mattress Firm meets this need, from a business perspective, by investing in locations in high-visibility, high-traffic areas, like Edgewater, to keep mattress buying top-of-mind when the purchasing cycle comes around every eight years. We are excited to be part of this dynamic Chicago community and look forward to being a good neighbor.”
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