Daily Herald opinion: Suburbs are wise to find their niches to draw residents and visitors alike

This editorial is a consensus opinion of the Daily Herald Editorial Board.

What makes each Chicago suburb unique?

Schaumburg is synonymous with Woodfield Mall.

Naperville has the Riverwalk.

And Arlington Heights once had the racetrack. And maybe someday da Bears?

Not all suburbs can claim such big attractions, but anything offered that's special and brings people to town is a boon.

Wheaton's French Market fits the bill, and for the first time the market will move to a new home under the Wheaton Pavilion in the downtown.

Not only does this desirable location bring people to the town center, it also offers a location that's protected from the season's elements. The spring rain and hot summer sun won't deter people from checking out this unique open-air market selling cultural treasures like French pastries, delicious specialty breads and beautiful bouquets.

It seems people come from near and far to shop at Wheaton's market, which opened for the season last Saturday. Geneva also holds a similar event in its downtown.

We love the idea of the permanent pavilion in Wheaton, but not all towns have the ability to do that. Still, any sort of temporary market during good weather is great and is an asset to suburbs with a bustling downtown.

Palatine is another town trying to do just that with food trucks.

Food trucks have been offered at Palatine's festivals and special events, but the town is considering making them more commonplace by offering these trucks yearly licenses.

So, for example, you might see a food truck sitting near a park where kids' baseball games are happening and families are gathering.

Or you might see one working in tandem with a restaurant, offering something the brick-and-mortar restaurant doesn't, that draws people to both.

Or there might be a food truck near Palatine's Metra station for commuters, but also introducing people to the downtown area.

"I think it will bring in more people," said Palatine council member Tim Millar. "The food trucks are kind of a nice novelty. They kind of fit in with some products that we're not having in our restaurants."

To be fair to the brick-and-mortar restaurants that might see food trucks as unfair competition because they don't have the same overhead issues, we encourage Palatine to set regulations that protect downtown and other businesses.

With that caveat, we praise Palatine for considering this and also recommend it advertise where the food trucks will be and when.

We applaud these two towns and their leaders for pursuing such great options and we hope to see other suburbs follow suit.