End of era: Half of Little Village Discount Mall closes, city offers …

Despite concerted efforts from vendors at the Little Village Discount Mall — some of who had been there for decades — their bids to remain in the storied shopping center under the new ownership failed. Advertisement

Last Monday night, more than 40 vendors were forced to vacate their shops and put their merchandise in storage — or for some, in their garages and homes — while they figure out where they’ll set up their stores again, if ever.

There was disbelief and frustration, tears and anger as vendors and their families packed up and loaded the moving trucks parked in front of the building that had given much of its character to the Little Village neighborhood, said Juan Zarate, whose family operated three stores in the mall for nearly 30 years. Advertisement

“We wanted to stay here, and I’m glad we tried,” he said.

When Novak Development, the plaza’s new owner, announced earlier this year that it had reached an agreement with only one of the two leasing companies for the mall, vendors were disheartened and under their organization, Juntos Por la Villita, they sought help from local leaders and city officials to intervene.

But the help came too late, Zarate said by phone from his home, now filled with hundreds of items that he and his family sold at the Discount Mall.

On Monday night, as Zarate and his family finished packing, city officials announced that they had reached an agreement with Novak to allow the vendors operating through PK Mall — the leasing company that did not renew its contract with Novak — to remain in the building six more weeks while the city modified a nearby former CVS to accommodate the vendors through the end of December, with a potential long-term solution to be discussed.

Pilsen Plaza Corp., owned by Kyunhee Park, signed a new 10-year lease with Novak to continue renting space to nearly half the 150 vendors that operated at the mall.

Though city officials recognized that the announcement of the six-week extension and plan to relocate vendors came hours before the vendors’ deadline to vacate the building, they are hopeful that it will “develop a path forward that empowers vendors who are so vital to the Little Village community,” a statement said.

Merchandise is hauled out from the Little Village Discount Mall on March 27, 2023. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

A Wonder Woman pinata is seen on the ground as vendors and workers move out merchandise from the Discount Mall in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood on March 27, 2023. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Nubia Willman, the city’s chief engagement officer, said her team worked to understand the community while also explaining to the vendors that there was little the city could do to stop Novak from asking PK Mall to end its leases since it was a transaction between private businesses.

“We didn’t have that much power but we did have the ability to find these alternatives,” Willman said. “We told them as soon as we could.”

The mayor’s office worked with local stakeholders to develop a “comprehensive plan” that meets the needs of the local entrepreneurs and it will continue to work with Discount Mall management and vendors, neighborhood stakeholders, as well as the local aldermen to develop a long-term solution, according to the statement.

Under the current plan, which is yet to be finalized, the city is partnering with the Little Village Chamber of Commerce to restore a former CVS at West 27th Street and South Pulaski Road to provide a space for the displaced vendors until at least the end of the year, according to officials. Funding to support the Little Village Chamber of Commerce’s efforts to assist vendors in their transition is provided by the Neighborhood Strategy Team at Choose Chicago, which has worked to promote underserved neighborhoods and preserve Chicago’s rich cultural diversity.

The space will be operated as a pop-up shop, and those vendors who choose to participate will pay a subsidized rent for the space, but details, including the number of vendors that can be accommodated and the rent prices, are yet to be determined, said Jennifer Aguilar, the executive director of the Little Village Chamber of Commerce.

Aguilar said that her team struggled with the proposal because “we wanted it to be a permanent solution and not just a temporary one that leads them to the same situation. But we don’t know what will happen after December,” Aguilar said.

Samir Mayekar, deputy mayor for economic and neighborhood development, said that city officials’ priority is to finalize the short-term solution, adding, “however, we are also working with the vendors on a longer-term solution.”

“We are very optimistic that we could find a longer-term solution that could potentially be a site that they (the vendors) help co-own and manage,” Mayekar said.

Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, 25th, said that the city’s response was strategically late and the urgency only came after a Cook County judge denied a request from vendors who faced eviction for an emergency injunction last Friday.

Sigcho-Lopez said he will continue to help vendors find a permanent place to set up their shops either in Little Village or in the 22nd Ward. Another proposal vendors have heard is the possible creation of a co-op so that they can buy their own property.

“I think that the extension was all just a show, but I’m grateful that there are some options for us,” Zarate said.

Salgado said that after speaking to vendors, the sentiment was unanimous: “They’re upset and frustrated, but many want to stay in the area, and if we can provide them that space until we figure out something more permanent, we will go forward with the plan to open the new location.”

Sarfrazz Satti, a Pakistani immigrant who ran one of the oldest shops on the side of the Little Village Discount Mall that closed, said even with a six-week extension available, he won’t come back to the mall.

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“You need at least two months to set up a shop,” he said.

He took most of his merchandise to a storage unit and rented moving trucks. “Everything costs money, the U-Haul, the man hours,” he added. Advertisement

Satti said he was able to look at the CVS, but that the space is a bit small and he’s still undecided if he will set up shop again in any place at all.

“I don’t blame (Novak for ending the business),” he said. “(Novak) bought the building, it’s their choice. Everything has its time.

You either go up or you go down.”

As Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s term comes to an end, Mayekar said officials believe that most of the short-term solution for 2023 will be complete before the mayoral transition.

“We may even have a long-term framework of a solution before the transition,” he said. “And our goal will be to make sure that over the course of the transition, we set up the next administration for success on this matter because that’s what the people of Little Village deserve.”

Chicago Tribune’s Richard Requena contributed.

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