LINCOLN PARK — After calling Lincoln Avenue home for 16 years, the owners of O'Malley's West are ready to move on.
Matt Imig, co-owner of O'Malley's West, 2249 N. Lincoln Ave., said there is a deal in the works to sell the bar to a buyer but would not disclose the buyer's name. While he said the deal isn't quite final yet, he estimates that the bar has about six weekends left before it closes.
Imig pointed to a number of reasons for closing up shop, including the years-long delay on the redevelopment of the Children's Memorial Hospital, which is down the block from the bar.
What once was a bustling hospital campus turned into a "ghost town" after Children's moved from Lincoln Avenue to Streeterville in 2012, Imig and other business owners say. It was the years of inactivity following the move — caused by a lawsuit and debates among neighbors and community leaders — that hit businesses hard.
"It definitely was a big factor," he said, referring to the Children's Hospital delay.
He also pointed to the decrease in apartments and other affordable housing in the area.
"We lost a ton of rentals around this neighborhood. It turned more condo and the price of living around here chased a lot of people away," he said.
"Do we want to work hard to pay the amount of taxes we pay, to go through the amount of stuff we have to go through for a neighborhood that seemingly has no idea what they want or what they don't want?"
It was clear to Imig that he needed to reconcept in order to save his bar. But he said neither he nor his business partner had the energy to do that. His partner, who is a co-owner, has two young children. Collectively, they've worked in the bar and restaurant industry for about 45 years.
"The writing was on the wall. We've got other things in life that we want to do and explore," he said.
The sale doesn't mean Imig doesn't see potential in Lincoln Avenue. On the contrary, he expects to see a rebirth of the area, especially once Children's Hospital is redeveloped. The property sold in February, and crews are currently doing abatement ahead of demolition.
"I think every developer that wants to do something should be looking at this street right now," he said.
O'Malley's West just couldn't wait long enough.
"It was the dysfunction leading up to all of this stuff," Imig said, referring to the Children's Hospital delay. "It put a bad taste in my mouth that I can't get rid of. Thank goodness I have the freedom to say I don't want to deal with it anymore."
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
