UPTOWN — Mark Nguyen's first impression of Uptown wasn't very positive.
About six years ago, his brother rented his first apartment near Dover Street and Wilson Avenue in what he described as "a bad area." He never got much detail about why it was bad, but when he was searching for a spot to bring his new quick-service poke restaurant he was pleasantly surprised, he said.
"It's just like any other neighborhood. It has its high and its lows. Its highs outweigh its lows though," said Nguyen, the owner of Pokiology, 4600 N. Magnolia Ave., which opened earlier this month. "We noticed a lot of movement and we jumped on that development. We wanted to get in on the ground floor."
Over the last year, Wilson Avenue lost a number of businesses including the Magnolia Cafe, 1244 W. Wilson Ave., and Luna's Salon and Spa, 1217 W. Wilson Ave., which both closed at the end of 2015. In March, it took another loss when Starbucks announced it was leaving.
Recently, though, several new businesses have arrived on the stretch of Wilson between Racine Avenue and Beacon Street. Joining Pokiology on the stretch is Emerald City Coffee, which is planning a soft opening this month, and Kal'ish, which hopes to open in September.
"I think it's a great thing. As long as the trend of small, independent businesses continues [Wilson] can be a living, thriving part of Uptown," said Michael Stejskal, owner of Public Barber, 1319 W. Wilson Ave.
The area had its challenges, including vacant storefronts, when Stejskal opened his barber shop about 1½ years ago, but it appears to be turning around, adding he thinks "some people had a hard time keeping their doors open" because the area was over saturated with similar offerings.
To keep the momentum going he'd like to see "anything that promotes more nightlife" like restaurants that are open later and bars, he said.
"Having more people walking around the street may make the neighborhood more lively and deter illicit activity. I think the main thing is keeping people who live in the neighborhood in the neighborhood and keeping the money here," Stejskal said.
Ald. James Cappleman (46th) sees the corridor as "a vibrant commercial area" that feeds into the Uptown entertainment district.
"His vision is a pedestrian friendly area where residents, students and commuters along the Red and Purple lines come to shop, eat and meet with friends," said Tressa Feher, Cappleman's chief of staff.
The Wilson Red Line renovation project has already brought more pedestrian traffic than ever before and Cappleman hopes to bring even more foot traffic to the area by bringing "a market of some kind" to the Gerber Building.
In 2015, Feher said the market would likely be the biggest indoor farmers market in the neighborhood. Since then, the alderman has been meeting with developers and giving tours of the building, but bidding on it won't occur until renovations are completed in 2017.
Since opening, Pokiology has had an "absolutely great" reception from neighbors, with many saying "they're excited we're here and that we're a good addition to the neighborhood," Nguyen said.
While he's hoping some new businesses fill the vacant storefronts along the stretch, he said he might even be in the market to open another business venture along Wilson.
"We're also looking at what's missing in the area ... Me and my wife [who is also his business partner] want to keep going," Nguyen said.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
