Mt. Prospect mayor: People want experiences not stuff

Mount Prospect Mayor Arlene Juracek said existing vacancies in the village's downtown area won't necessarily be filled with traditional retail shops in the future.

Instead, residents should expect to see businesses that sell services or “experiences,” she said.

“With the rise of online shopping, I'm not sure we'll see a flood of mom-and-pop stores opening in our downtown going forward,” Juracek said. “People, particularly younger people, appear to be more interested in spending their dollars on experiences, which is why restaurants and service providers might be a bigger attraction.”

Juracek talked about this shift at a recent luncheon hosted by the Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce, and she expanded on those remarks Wednesday.

She pointed to Randhurst Village, the new commercial development that replaced the old Randhurst Mall. The success of the new center has been driven by restaurants like BlackFinn Ameripub and e + o food and drink, as well as the new AMC movie theater, rather than retail stores.

“The chamber and groups like the Downtown Merchants Association are already onto this trend,” Juracek said. “I think the public needs to alter its expectations, too. We still get people wondering when that new local dress shop is going to open downtown.”

Dawn Fletcher Collins, executive director of the Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce, said she agrees with the mayor's take.

“I don't think the boutique gift-shop kind of place is completely gone, but I don't see a downtown like ours supporting a block of three or four of them,” she said. “And yes, many of the calls we're getting are for restaurants. It took me be surprise at first, I have to admit. But a meal at a restaurant is an experience you can't replicate online.”

The downtown area is already home to several food/drink places, including Starbucks Coffee and Le Peep Cafe on Northwest Highway and Mia's Cantina on Prospect Avenue.

“The good thing about that kind of business is that it creates a fun energy,” Collins said. “People do seem to enjoy going out to eat close to home.”

Collins added that service businesses — dentists, chiropractors, etc. — can be strong tenants in a downtown area, as well.

Juracek stressed that ultimately, the market will decide what businesses go where.

“We've always looked at the village's role as a supporting one,” she said.