How we helped revitalize a languishing suburban downtown area

Many years ago, my husband, Steve, and I purchased our first home in Lombard. We bought near what we thought was a vibrant downtown at the time. A few small businesses were "opening soon," the train station was bustling and the DuPage Theater still featured movies on the marquis. Every indication pointed to downtown Lombard's impending greatness.

But we soon realized that we were duped. The theater had shut down, the "opening soon" small businesses never opened (or closed soon after) and our potentially awesome downtown languished for many years.

I ran as a village trustee on a downtown revitalization campaign (like many before and many after me). We developed grants, created foot-traffic events and partnered with Metra and the community on comprehensive strategic downtown growth plans. And still little occurred. Clearly, when properties sit without upgrades and enhancements, new buildouts to suit modern codes were cost prohibitive for most.

In 2015 Steve and I finally agreed to throw money at the problem. About a year later we opened Babcock's Grove House in the old 1858 hotel building once aptly called ... Babcock's Grove House. The buildout was long, expensive and full of surprises. Because so many had failed in previous downtown business endeavors, many hinted that "it will never work." But Steve had more than 20 years of restaurant experience, and I had significant brand and marketing background, which kept us optimistic.

Five years later, we're still here.

Sales started strong and climbed year after year (until the pandemic, of course). We can't tell anyone the exact winning combination because it changes constantly and is different for everyone. However, there are few thoughtful guesses:

• First, sell a product that doesn't stink.

This sounds easy, but you'd be surprised how many get this wrong.

• Next, hire the nicest and smartest people you can find.

Experience is great, but give us bright people with happy dispositions any day.

• Then, know your community.

Lombard is economically diverse, and we really wanted Babcock's to be accessible to everyone. We designed the concept to be charming but not intimidating and the menu to be approachable yet creative.

Admittedly, this is easier when you live in the community you operate in but can also be done though social media. Our social media voice is that of a neighbor who wants to talk versus someone who wants to sell. This has kept our engagement high.

• Take advantage of the resources available.

Seek out restaurant forgivable loans and retail, facade improvement grants and others.

If your town offers money to help with expenses, why turn it down?

They'll make it up in tax revenue when your business is successful. Also, get early and ongoing advice from your town's community development department, which can save you from pricey mistakes).

After the success of Babcock's, we saw an opportunity to leverage our success to reinvigorate Lombard's downtown area.

We've since opened a bar called The Lilac League and are now soft opening our TexMex restaurant NachoRita in downtown Lombard. We also had plans to open an ice cream shop last year, but COVID-19 stopped us in our tracks.

Not surprisingly, running an existing business while opening new ones during COVID has been hugely challenging and exhausting. Starts and stops. Openings and shutdowns. We're still in the process of getting back on track in the safest environment for our guests and our staff and are probably more cautious than most given personal experiences this year.

We're unsure what the post-COVID restaurant world will look like, but we're optimistic. We see more restaurants and retail opening downtown this year and far fewer vacant storefronts than ever.

We'd like to think we've helped stimulate this downtown recovery by proving businesses can be successful in our downtown. And we're optimistic that one day soon, the downtown will represent the ideal "Taste of Lombard."

• Dana Moreau is co-owner of Babcock's Grove House, NachoRita and The Lilac League in Lombard.