EDGEWATER — Edgewater business groups are looking for a way to revive the Bryn Mawr Historic District — and they're hoping pop-up shops, food trucks and a weekly dose of Lickity Split Frozen Custard at the landmark Edgewater Beach Apartments will help.
Starting April 29, Lickity Split, a neighborhood favorite in Edgewater and West Ridge, will be serving frozen treats from 4-8 p.m. on Fridays.
Customers can pick up their dish at the iconic pink building, 5555 N. Sheridan Road, at a vacant corner store that was once a flower shop and ice cream parlor where early residents used to get sweets.
Along with Lickity Split, food truck vendors will hang out weekly at the Bryn Mawr Avenue and Sheridan Road intersection, and patrons will be able to take their food inside the pop-up parlor for a double-scoop of nostalgia.
Food trucks on April 29 will feature six vendors — five for humans, and one with dog treats: La Patrona, Auntie Vee’s, Da Pizza Dude, Gino’s Steaks and 6 Mutts dog treats. On May 6, so far Jerk 312, Haute and Ready and La Cocinita are all confirmed vendors.
The events were "designed to encourage community members to connect with neighbors in a safe, open space," said Jennifer Borchardt of the Edgewater Development Corporation, who is leading an effort along with the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce and Ald. Harry Osterman's (48th) office to bring new life to Bryn Mawr Avenue — which is also a historic district.
The area is highly trafficked by both motorists and people on foot — more than 10,000 people live along Sheridan Road between Foster and Devon avenues, some of which lies within the historic district, according to Borchardt.
Bryn Mawr Historic District looking east from Kenmore and Bryn Mawr Avenues. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]
As the home prices in Edgewater continue to surge, some are even finding rare rental and opportunities that inside other historic buildings, like the Manor House.
Along with food Fridays in the Edgewater Beach Apartments, the groups are working to offer a temporary lease to someone interested in trying out a new concept with a pop-up at 1052 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., said Katrina Balog, executive director at the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce.
The 2,200-square-foot retail shop is in the former Belle Shore Hotel, now an apartment building with ground floor storefronts.
It's the perfect way for someone to test their business, and "a way for the community to test the business," Balog said.
Information on the neighborhood from business groups is found on storefronts along Bryn Mawr, urging businesses to set up shop. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]
Balog and others have been trying to come up with creative ways to showcase the historic district in a way that attracts new retailers, but ones that speak to the unique needs of the area, she said.
Alex Sarros, owner of Tina's Italian Ice, is set to open in the coming weeks along Bryn Mawr, being drawn into the neighborhood after meeting Osterman during a street festival and being convinced to open a second location.
And in late 2015, Bryn Mawr's storefront Redtwist Theatre announced it was eyeing two adjacent vacant shops for a possible expansion.
Still, several stores remain empty.
In the meantime, artist groups like Edgewater Artists in Motion have transformed vacancies into mini-art installations (one in the vein of a 1950s diner) and galleries.
Looking west, signs designating the area's historic status hang above some of the community's most famed buildings and favorite restaurants. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
