Can Forsythe family bring Long Grove back to glory days?

What happened to Long Grove?

That's the refrain greeting shop owners who have stuck it out in the struggling downtown.

In its heyday, buses of tourists flocked to the historic retreat tucked away from suburban sprawl. The covered bridge, the cobblestone paths, the mill wheel — the charm is still there. But now, some 40 to 50 percent of the downtown's storefronts stand vacant by the village's estimate.

The old formula isn't working. Specialty shops have closed in the face of competition online and from big-box retailers. Banks have left foreclosed properties neglected. What's more, the downtown lacks the modern infrastructure to draw new businesses.

Now, the future of Long Grove appears to rest heavily on the Forsythe family, which has quietly bought 17 buildings — or about one-third of the downtown.

The village's leaders see promise in patriarch Gerald Forsythe, an auto racing mogul whose Buffalo Grove-based company, Indeck Energy Services, builds power plants. But not everybody is comfortable with the changes the Forsythes have brought — most notably video gambling — to the quaint historic district.

New blood

The story of how the Forsythes became a major player in downtown Long Grove goes back to an old restaurant, a popcorn shop and a coffeehouse.

The properties fell into foreclosure about four years ago. The family acquired them via American Enterprise Bank, a suburban chain started in the 1990s by Gerald Forsythe.

“That was an accident,” daughter Marsha Forsythe said of the deal, “but the others were definitely a focus.”

The others are the Mill Pond and Fountain Square shops. The first was bought in a foreclosure auction last year, the other this fall. Today, the family and their business partners own a couple of pieces of vacant land and 17 buildings — a mix of retailers and restaurants around Old McHenry and Robert Parker Coffin roads.

The Forsythes say they don't want to reinvent the downtown, but they aren't turning back the clock, either.

“We're not looking to change the look of downtown,” Marsha Forsythe said. “We're looking to revive it to what it used to be.”

Marsha Forsythe and her sisters grew up in Long Grove, where their mother ran a clock shop in the vibrant 1970s. Now, Marsha Forsythe lives here again, a divorced mom raising her children and sitting on the local chamber board.

“We are locals who want to help, and that's really what we're doing,” she said.

Under their ownership, fresh faces have filled the void left by retiring business owners. Long Grove Cafe and Restaurant changed hands, as did Beans and Leaves coffee shop. The family also hopes to lure more restaurants and resurrect the iconic Apple Haus bakery, which closed in 2012.

“It's a younger group coming in, younger crowds, new owners, new tenants,” Marsha Forsythe said. “That's what I think Long Grove needs: new blood.”

Long-term plans have been kept under wraps, and Gerald Forsythe keeps a “low profile,” says Sharon Fine, executive director of Long Grove Business and Community Partners, a nonprofit that is a chamber of commerce, a tourism bureau and an economic development arm for the village rolled into one. Marsha Forsythe is a board member.

Gerald Forsythe did not return multiple phone and email messages seeking comment for this story.

“I think they're appreciative of the charm and the feel-good,” Fine said. “They're also business people, so it's a balance. They certainly know what they're doing.”

In meetings with tenants, the Forsythes have talked about repairs to crumbling cobblestone paths and bringing in a landscape architect.

“They're talking very big picture,” says Mark Charlesworth, who owns Mangel Gifts, a boutique run out of a building bought by the family.

Their vision comes into clearer focus at Mill Pond, where the Forsythes last month unveiled their own business, Broken Earth Winery.

The exterior is largely untouched. Step inside, and Broken Earth feels more like a trendy bar, serving wine from the family-owned vineyard in California. Televisions are flipped to sports, and patrons try their hand at video gambling machines.

“I think people should be encouraged by the fact that they're very responsible property owners,” Village President Angie Underwood said. “The quality there is what I think speaks to Long Grove.”

The skeptics

Still, another faction in Long Grove isn't convinced the Forsythes are the downtown's savior.

The family was a driving force behind the village board overturning a ban on video gambling, which some residents say doesn't go with the family-friendly charm of the historic district.

After Gerald Forsythe petitioned the village to allow video gambling, trustees flip-flopped, first upholding the ban and later starting the process of putting an advisory question on the November ballot. Finally, trustees settled on a trial run they extended another six months until April 2015 because the first terminals started arriving only recently.

Three of the four establishments that have slot machines are owned by the Forsythes: Broken Earth Winery, Chatter Box of Long Grove and Long Grove Cafe. The exception is the Village Tavern.

“Is that something we really want as a brand for Long Grove?” asked Mike Sarlitto, a member of Long Grove United, a residents group that first formed to oppose the village's recent attempt to levy taxes to fix deteriorating roads.

Others also worry about one voice controlling a large chunk of the downtown.

“It smacks of Pottersville to me,” said Lisa Schultz Phillips, a former plan commissioner referring to the greedy villain of “It's a Wonderful Life.”

“That influences agenda, that influences development and the perception of Long Grove,” Sarlitto said.

What's ahead

Most agree the downtown — contributing only about $140,000 in sales tax a year — needs more diverse offerings. With a staff of four full-time employees, the village joined Long Grove Business and Community Partners to loosen restrictions on what's allowed there.

They also ousted apothecaries, butcher shops, haberdasheries and other outdated types of stores from a list of permitted businesses downtown.

Long Grove's leaders say local retailers, still riding out a slow recovery from the recession, are taking heart in what the Forsythes have done so far, inspiring other property owners to step up maintenance of downtown buildings.

“Everybody's rooting for us,” Fine said.