Vacant storefronts persist, but foot traffic is moving in downtown Chicago this Memorial Day
Downtown Chicago was busy this Memorial Day, with people spending the day outside and in stores.
On Michigan Avenue along the Magnificent Mile across the Chicago River from the Loop, there are signs of closures and empty storefronts all around. But that did not deter shoppers from taking advantage of nice weather — and a nice deal or two.
But while many were on the hunt for the best deals, sometimes people searching for their usual stores found them either moved or just gone.
"Now that they're changing everything around, it's like, OK, I don't know where I'm going now," said one of two women who were in town from Miami celebrating a birthday. "I'm used to staple locations of different things, and now since they moved them around. I'm kind of a little lost."
Despite that, the women recommended Chicago for a summer getaway.
San Diego cousins Ileana Bautista and Stephanie Jimenez were also downtown Monday. They came to town for the Sueños Music Festival, which is in progress in Grant Park this weekend.
"My cousin actually went to the Sueños Festival last year and invited me this year, but I was really looking forward to it after seeing the lineup," said Bautista.
After seeing the headliners, they did a bit of exploring Monday.
"We're exploring, you know. Chicago is definitely not a place that you can miss," said Jimenez. "It's definitely there, and that's what made me come again this year — so beautiful."
Bautista and Jimenez were staying downtown, and said they recommend it.
"With that comes a ton of great new events, or longstanding events that people are always excited about like Sueños, and DCASE projects and programming like Blues Fest, and even our own Chicago Loop Alliance Sundays on State, typically," said Ariella Gibson, director of marketing and communications for the Chicago Loop Alliance.
Gibson admitted more work needs to be done to fill the empty storefronts downtown. That goes for the Loop too.
"Hundreds and thousands of square feet of vacant storefront space on State Street," she said.
Recent data reported nearly 450 storefronts in the Loop and specifically on State Street were still empty post-pandemic. But Gibson said warmer months mean enthusiasm and foot traffic downtown — which could convince retailers to set up shop.
"We're within 5 to 10% of 2019 levels on a weekly basis, and a lot of that has to do with weekend traffic, weekend foot traffic, and post-workday traffic too — so that means that people are coming down not just to work, but to play," she said.
Last weekend, Choose Chicago reported there were over 46,000 hotel rooms filled on a single day — breaking a new record.
The organization does not have the data for this week just yet. But with the Sueños Festival and the Memorial Day holiday, Choose Chicago is hoping for an added boost.
