As MegaMall reopens, vendors seek meeting with mall owner to negotiate new lease agreement

On November 22nd more than 100 Logan Square residents and merchants gathered outside the Logan Square MegaMall, 2500 N. Milwaukee Ave., to celebrate the reopening of the mall and to support the MegaMall Merchants’ Committee, which is seeking a meeting with owner Kyun Hee Park to negotiate a fair lease agreement.

Building code violations that had accumulated over the years prompted the sudden closing of the mall in June of 2005. “City inspectors and police suddenly evacuated us from the building,” said Carmen Tapia, one of the leaders of the committee. “At that moment, no one knew of the reasons for the closing, and that lack of communication caused a lot of suffering and many losses for our businesses.”

In response, merchants formed the Merchants’ Committee, known in Spanish as the Comité Comerciantes del MegaMall, or CCMM. The committee organized to support the reopening of the mall and to ensure future stability for the 100-plus businesses that had been displaced in June 2005. The reopening is a long-anticipated milestone, but vendors now face a new concern: obtaining a fair lease agreement. “We are excited to return to the MegaMall after months of uncertainty,” said CCMM member Mariano Kon, “but what’s missing is a guarantee for stability within this building—a new annual agreement that is fair and benefits both the vendors and Mr. Park.”

The CCMM has sent two letters to mall owner Park requesting a meeting to discuss proposals for a fair lease agreement, but has still not been able to obtain a meeting. “We have analyzed the current lease and it does not provide us with basic protections,” said CCMM leader Omar Hurtado. “We want an answer—we need to meet with the owner as soon as possible.

LSNA president Delia Ramírez was one of several community leaders who spoke at the press conference. “We stand behind the MegaMall Merchants’ Committee as they fight for a new contract,” Ramírez said. “When the MegaMall was closed, the livelihood of over 100 vendors and their families were at stake. Today, on the eve of Thanksgiving, we call upon the owner to meet with the merchants’ committee and negotiate a new lease in good faith. If he does this, the whole community of Logan Square will be thankful.”

The mall reopened on Friday, November 24. So far, Park still has not set a date to meet with the merchants.