MegaMall vendors organize for the future

Imagine operating a business for 15 years, and then being told you only have a few hours to close it down.

Vendors of the Logan Square MegaMall experienced that in June 2005. Until then, the MegaMall, located at 2500 N. Milwaukee Ave., was an unofficial business incubator for approximately 100 start-up businesses owned by immigrant families who benefited from shared customer traffic and low overhead costs.

On June 8th, the City ordered the MegaMall closed due to dangerous and hazardous conditions, and it has remained closed over the last eight months. Alderman Rey Colón (35th) and the city’s Department of Planning & Development (DPD) are seeking to acquire the property through eminent domain.

While a few of the vendors have been able to open storefronts on Fullerton and Milwaukee avenues, most cannot afford the additional costs of operating a storefront. And even some of those who have storefronts hope to rejoin their colleagues in an indoor market.

“We want to continue working together as a combination of businesses,” says Teresa Zepeda, co-chair of the vendors’ association, the Comité de los Comerciantes del MegaMall (MegaMall Merchants’ Committee). “We intend to continue as an economic incubator in Logan Square.”

The Comité and LSNA’s Housing & Land Use Committee are currently requesting meetings with Alderman Colón and DPD officials to discuss the future of the both theMegaMall site and the vendors.