Yogurt. Under current village standards, the word "frozen" on their sign is prohibited.

Contrary to what you might think, it's not whining and it's not about taxes or spending by the Village, School Districts, etc this time. It's about an honest answer that opening a store or restaurant in Deerfield Square is a risky shot right now. So, with that in mind....if its one of the "big boys" then fine, let's play. A frozen yougurt shop that's not a franchise may have the legs to weather the business climate right now and the lease terms. The down side? It might put Baskin Robbins under.
I don't wish for a family business to risk life savings by opening in that spot unless they have done a ton of research beyond demographics. Just ask some of the "big boys"....Childrens Place, Baker, The Fly fishing place, the Highland Park dress shop that lasted what a year? , the sporting goods store.

OK, RB, I guess Hall wins the whiner award, however, do you really think the failure rate in Deerfield is greater than other areas? Can you honestly point to anything particular to Deerfield that you can attribute to the bottom line? Sure, there's plenty of petty annoyances, but the demographics, services, access, and visibility are ideal. What do you make of Running Away?

I wish I could explain it, and I'm sure there are some stores that failed that still can't explain it. You're right that business is failing everywhere. Deerfield looks great from a demographic, but for some reason....
As far as what Deerfield does, the way they attacked Rosebud over the non-conforming sign comes to mind. Did they break the rules? Yes. The Village played hardball when it my not have been necessary to go after our new neighbor that way.
I remember when the Village board voted to develop the Southeast quadrant with Deerfield square. Many of the concerns expressed by citizens and ignored by the board came true. The parking problem there? All because the board (and one trustee particularly) insisted on more parking when the developer warned them of tight parking spaces. some people avoid there due to the tight parking. Remember when we had two dry cleaners in downtown and they were more than 20 feet apart? They were promised spots in the new development before their other places were destroyed and what did they get? Remember True Value? We had one, right downtown and the owner begged the board to help him survive. Restaurants with no parking, so a car wash would fit. Across the street a renter was allowed to keep all the good parking spaces for his office workers causing Sopravina to leave.
No, it's not all the Villages fault. I'm concerned for a small business investing in that high rent location when another failure would be worse than an empty location.

Tyler, I don;t know who your horse is in this race, but you better realize that RB is not the only one with this problem. It's probably going to be my single biggest voting issue.

You want me to point to something that KILLS bottom lines? That's an easy one: HORRIBLE - JUST MISERABLE - "city" (for lack of a better word) planning. And I've only lived here two years! There is NOTHING in the village that makes you want to make more than one stop. There's nothing that makes you want to walk and spend more money.

Want a perfect example: the silly move to let Starland move to the middle of nowhere. They took with it any potential for all those daytime parents to spend money. Not smart at all.

BDB - "let Starland move..." - isn't that Starland's decision? As I recall, Starland's plan B was a facility in either Highland Park or Northbrook. Facts can be stubborn things.

So can creativity, especially when it needs a strategy and the ability to influence.

Oh please!! You guys run this town. Stop your whining.

Oops, meant "vietnamese" as its own option.

BDB...Could not agree with you more. Deerfield is sorely in need of unique shops and cuisines other than Italian. Everything in this town is far too ho-hum predicable. I have only lived here for two years...and I am so bored with Deerfields offerings. That's it...if Hallmarks moves in...I am moving out !!! LOL.