Tuesday, December 22, 2009

The Mysterious A Cappella Storefront


If you've lived in the South Loop (especially on Michigan Avenue) for awhile you probably can relate to this post. We've been receiving a lot of emails from readers recently asking us about the mysterious A Cappella storefront on the southeast corner of 13th and Michigan Avenue.

As long as we've been in the South Loop, this restaurant looks like it could open any second. The tables are set, decorations are on the wall, but we've never seen anyone inside. A reader writes:
Recently I was walking past A Cappella Bistro looking inside I saw lights on and a lot of activity 4 or 5 people working. Do you have any info about this restaurant opening soon?
Anyone have any insight on this? We still have never seen anyone inside.

We've heard a lot of far fetched theories on this place, but don't really have any proof behind any of them.

(Hat Tip: PF and BT)

46 comments:

Anonymous said...

All rumors point to mob related activity. Who wants to step up and see if the rumor is actually true?

Anonymous said...

Not sure, but another interesting building was leased by BRITTEN INC. across the street (1420 S. Michigan) the building connected to Grace O'Malleys. Any idea to who Britten is? I think they are an event coordinator company, but not sure.

Anonymous said...

Looks like Britten is all over the place - http://www.linkedin.com/companies/britten-inc

Tim said...

There seems to be a website (perhaps some have seen it already: http://acappellabistro.com/) promising "Yes, believe it or not, we are going to open," but I'm not sure how long it has been up. The domain was registered in 2006, but it website does not appear on archive.org.

Anonymous said...

Not sure on the history of the space (some sort of tenant/landlord dispute halted the place), but allegedly Howie from Howie's Diner is involved in the space now.

Anonymous said...

After witnessing the scene in and around "Succeez" last evening, I don't blame the owners of this business for re-thinking opening in this HOOD. Any of you that live near this location can attest to last evening's scene.

Diversity Man said...

Anonymous 122309 7:46, what scene are you talking about? Please elaborate and briefly describe the appearance of individuals making up this "scene", so that you may have validity in your postings.

Lance Uppercut said...

What I'm hearing regarding SuccezZ is some ignorant, fear-induced, reactionary BS. Nothing in the papers or online police blotters.

I live a couple blocks from a similar (urban gear) store called "Jugrnaut". It's a couple doors down from our alderman's office and they seem to be doing some interesting stuff . . not my thing, but they support local talent and aren't a national chain.

I welcome and encourage similar business ventures to my neighborhood.

Anonymous said...

I too live across the street (sort of) from Succeez and know exactlly what the last anon is talking about. There was a full out brawl just outside the front door of the Sherwood music school at about 11:30 pm last night between groups of young men that were across the street at some event at Succeez. It spilled into the street and got really ugly, really fast. Just because the video wasn't on You Tube (like the Fenger brawl or the street brawls in Uptown) or didn't apppear in a police blotter doesn't mean it didn't happen. It was extremely disturbing; everyone in my building was talking about it this morning. It digusts me even more because my 2 year-old goes to music class at that school. I also heard that the disturbance ended up flaring up all over again at the gas station @ wabash and roosevelt. Apparently the cops came and (not surprising) all the cowards scattered and those that stuck around pretended like nothing happened. Like yo mamma taught ya: "don't snitch.". What a wonderful addition to the community.

Anonymous said...

The thing that bothers me is that you guys saw this near Succezz, but did you call the police? Why did the police arrive only at the gas station a few blocks away? As this neighborhood grows we're going to attract more crowds including dumb asses. I've walked by Succezz and their products are urban chic, but unfortunately for them, lamers like their stuff as much as some yuppies do. If we get more bars, we're going to get more drunk bastards. It's part of the game and it's your job to call the police if you see something stupid. You guys need to act like you own the place.

Tim said...

Anon, you suggest that the owners of A Cappella are re-thinking their decision to open in the South Loop. This point has not yet been discussed. Previous posts suggest either that they are having some sort of dispute with the property owners or something mob-related is going on. Do you have more information, because that would actually be relevant to this topic.

Anonymous said...

Again, it happened so quickly and escalated into a brawl before anyone knew what happened. The police were called once it all started up again at BP, which was when they all fled.

You're right. The police should have been called as soon as this large group of young people was spotted congregating on the sidewalk in huge, unsafe numbers. However, if that was done, all the haters would be calling me racist. Next time, I'm going to go with my gut and make the call right away. I really don't care if these guys kill each other; it's the potential to cause harm to innocent bystanders which is troubling. This neighborhood needs to set an example by standing up to these punks before the south loop turns into just another south side killing zone.

Carl said...

Regarding SuccezZ: I'm still a little fuzzy regarding how the accountability for all this falls on the businesses and/or their owners?

And for the record, a couple Anons agreeing amongst themselves doesn't make a consensus . . . this could one person typing "I saw this." then "I saw that too!".

The people griping about these types of issues never seem to be able to offer solutions. Speaks volumes IMO.

Anonymous said...

Carl - The owners held an after party there. 2 Solutions - If you have a party at the store; keep it classy. The ONLY REAL SOLUTION is Birth Control.

Anonymous said...

For what is worth I once heard this palce was having some kind of permit issues with the city. That was a long time ago.

About "Succeez" why are people affraid to call the police? If there is something going we ALL need to call and get the "animals" picked up and hauled out of the area. Who cares what color they are...People need to get over this black & white race thing and start calling. People need to put on notice that this crap does not fly in the south loop. The police can't help us we don't call.

Anonymous said...

These people were only in this neighborhood because of Succeez. The owners of this business are to blame for serving liquor to lowlifes and then spewing them out onto our streets. This, "IMO," is unacceptable behavior from any neighbor, either residential or commercial.
The scene on Michigan Ave was frightening. Nobody should stand for this.

Tim said...

Oh, the irony of an anonymous poster calling people cowards...

Anonymous said...

Not any more ironic than someone getting too sensitive over the race of the trouble-makers in this hood rather than focusing on their wrongful acts.

Tim said...

Did I get sensitive about something? I just asked if Anon had more information about A Cappella reconsidering opening in the South Loop, which he or she suggested in his first post (12/23 7:46 PM) and then took a snarky shot at his anonymity.

If Anon can't answer my question, I have no clue what his or her story has to do with A Cappella. Perhaps they saw this as a good place to post the news of their eyewitness account since it has not been covered elsewhere, but it would be nice if they could come up with something to back up their story, or at least provide some more details. Forgive me if I don't grant a lot of credibility to an anonymous poster.

Anonymous said...

i have been a reader for a while now but the racist undertones are starting to dominate this site..diversity is what makes the south loop special and unfortunately it seems to be what scares the posters on this website the most...read the comments on the movie theater opening. we need more places like succeez--the owner is a class act. if you are scared of people with color gathering in groups--move to lincoln park or better yet oak brook.

EHF said...

The thread was simple, i believe it was asking what's going on with the A Cappella storefront. Drifting to the other topic, sure, certain crowds tend to act like animals freshly let into the yard. Happens at Krolls with drunk bears fans too. Black/White/Green/Yellow-neighorhoods of all types have the ability to say "not here". I take my 10 month old to music over there and if its going on, pick up and call. The Police will be as diligent as the community will allow and help them to be.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for wasting my time...

Anonymous said...

I didn't read anything racist at all. In fact, the only time the race of anyone was brought up was when certain people started charging people voicing concerns over street brawls of racism.

So let me get this straight: a group of drunk people start a street brawl in the street on Tuesday night; some neighbors complain about this inappropriate and extremely unsafe behavior; and people on this blog are now complaining about the fact that concerned neighbors are voicing said concerns. This doesn't add up.

By condeming the people that complain, you're condoning criminal activity. It's no wonder certain neighborhoods in this city have been absolutely destroyed by gangs and crime. People would rather defend the wrong-doers, because they share the same skin color, than join a call for these activities to stop.

Logic said...

Goodness, if there's a big mob of people brawling on that part of Michigan Ave at midnight, call the cops. The first thing in your mind should NOT be "will others think I'm racist?". That's dumb.

I'm complaining about neighbors that WITNESSED A CROWD MIDNIGHT BRAWLING ON MICHIGAN AVE, BUT DID NOT CALL THE COPS BECAUSE THE NEIGHBORS DIDN'T WANT TO BE SEEN AS RACIST. Stop defending stupidity, "Anonymous 122609 2:00". Stupidity is seeing trouble and not calling the police.

Tim said...

Anonymous (December 26, 2009 2:00 PM), I assume you are new to this blog. There is at least one anonymous troll (I'll call them Anon from here on) who tries to turn almost every conversation into a race argument. As is typical for Anon, their story had nothing to do with the story about A Cappella. I'm not condemning Anon for complaining about unsubstantiated violence, I am condemning them for their habit, continued here, of going off-topic with racist overtones.

How is Anon racist? They use the following racist code words:

-Condescendingly misspelling SuccezZ as "Succeez."

-Using the word "hood" instead of neighborhood, and even going so far as typing it in all caps.

-Making assumptions about the behavior of a group of people Anon does not know (perhaps generalizations based on race?) and some events they did not witness: "(not surprising)," "cowards"; implying an unsubstantiated connection to SuccezZ: "What a wonderful addition to the community"

-Condescendingly appropriating slang: "Like yo mamma taught ya: 'don't snitch,'"

-"Animals"

Anonymous said...

As much as I hate to say this, I have to agree with the last Anonymous post. Seriously, nobody mentioned race until certain people started complaining about the Anonymous poster that pointed out bad behavior (he/she did not mention race at all). So just because these groups of trouble-makers all happen to be black, we're supposed to ignore what they're doing because it's racist to want a crime-free neighborhood? Not on my watch. I won't standby and allow this wonderful community to turn into the next Englewood, Bronzeville, Gresham, Austin, etc. just because some misguided posters feel that it's racist to complain about criminal activity by minorities.

Logic said...

Goodness, if there's a big mob of people brawling on that part of Michigan Ave at midnight, call the cops. The first thing in your mind should NOT be "will others think I'm racist?". That's dumb.

I'm complaining about neighbors that WITNESSED A CROWD MIDNIGHT BRAWLING ON MICHIGAN AVE, BUT DID NOT CALL THE COPS BECAUSE THE NEIGHBORS DIDN'T WANT TO BE SEEN AS RACIST. Stop defending stupidity, "Anonymous 122609 2:00". Stupidity is seeing trouble and not calling the police.

Anonymous 1226 3:47 and 1226 9:02 need to stop spinning crap. You guys are writing comments that had nothing to due with previous posts. I'm a Republican, so I know spin. You guys aren't doing a good job of spinning. Go do some laundry and learn how to spin!

Anonymous said...

To Anonymous December 25, 2009 8:22 PM who said..."we need more places like succeez--the owner is a class act. if you are scared of people with color gathering in groups--move to lincoln park or better yet oak brook."

Who are you to tell people what they should or should not like, or where they should move? Good luck to the owner, hope he is successful, but by your logic, a strip joint would be a great addition to the neighborhood.

If the owner is not smart and hosts events or creates and environment that has idiots gathering and brawling at midnight on Michigan Avenue, what good is it for this community?

People have every right to be concerned about any level of violence, especially if the business just opened up. Your insinuation that race plays a factor is bs. This is about money and behavior standards - if people pay $500k - $1MM for homes in a neighborhood, there is nothing wrong with expecting businesses to respect their role in a neighborhood. Let's hope he is smart enough to get it corrected.

FGFM said...

This thread.

FGFM said...

I'm complaining about neighbors that WITNESSED A CROWD MIDNIGHT BRAWLING ON MICHIGAN AVE, BUT DID NOT CALL THE COPS BECAUSE THE NEIGHBORS DIDN'T WANT TO BE SEEN AS RACIST.

That's some rather remarkable group mind-reading there!

The Spin Stops Here said...

FGFM, didn't I tell your kind to do some laundry and watch your clothes spin, so you can learn how to properly spin stories? Anyway, mind-reading isn't possible, so all you can do is READ TEXT:

"The police should have been called... However, if that was done, all the haters would be calling me racist. Next time, I'm going to go with my gut and make the call right away." By Anonymous 122409 8:26 AM

FGFM said...

FGFM, didn't I tell your kind to do some laundry and watch your clothes spin, so you can learn how to properly spin stories? Anyway, mind-reading isn't possible, so all you can do is READ TEXT:

Get back to me when you learn the difference between singular and plural. Racist idiots like you ruin everything around here.

Anonymous said...

Why is this about race? The facts are simple: this neighborhood is becoming crime-ridden due to large groups of young people congregating on corners and brawling on our streets. Doesn't matter if they are black/white/purple/etc. Certain people took offense to these facts just because all these young people are neither white nor purple nor etc. But that's reality, not racism.

And yes, this thread is relevant to the initial topic because this demographic scares the daylights out of commercial tenants. Fact: there are now hundreds of thousands of square feet of empty retail space in the south loop. Recession or not, this is a huge issue.

Tim said...

Since we're hopelessly off topic, I'll bite. Can you please take a picture of these "young people" or at least describe in what circumstances they "congregate?" If they're causing such a frequent problem it shouldn't be difficult. I can't remember seeing one young person in this neighborhood at any time of day, let alone "large groups brawling."

Tim said...

And to get back on topic, Anon, are you suggesting that the rumors and the sentiments of A Cappella on their website are incorrect and that they are secretly reconsidering opening in the South Loop due to a sudden scourge of violent youth?

FGFM said...

Why is this about race? The facts are simple: this neighborhood is becoming crime-ridden due to large groups of young people congregating on corners and brawling on our streets. Doesn't matter if they are black/white/purple/etc. Certain people took offense to these facts just because all these young people are neither white nor purple nor etc. But that's reality, not racism.

Rhetoric and logic obviously aren't your strong points.

FGFM said...

Fact: there are now hundreds of thousands of square feet of empty retail space in the south loop. Recession or not, this is a huge issue.

While that number seems a little high, maybe various landlords should stop trying to charge $30/sq. ft. and up for said space. The city actually pays the outrageous sum of $37/sq. ft. to lease the Chinatown library branch. Must be a sweetheart deal there somewhere.

Carl said...

I'll contend that the neighborhood in question has ALWAYS had a fair share of violence.

I'm not saying anyone currently living there should put up with it but, conversely, one can't be too outraged/surprised by the presence of violence. It's like moving to Alaska and complaining about the snow . . . be prepared to shovel.

The Spin Ends Here said...

Interesting... I'm getting under FGFM's skin! He's calling people names and is eager to teach me the difference between singular and plural! I'm not racist, why you calling me racist? Is this you FGFM?

http://twitter.com/fgfm
http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/Profile?oid=1162560

Why waste your time being so negative in other Chicago websites? Remember, Jesus loves you too and we takin ova ya HOOD!

FGFM said...

Racist anon starts stalking.

The Spin Ends Here said...

Everyone look at FGFM! He likes to go around posting crap on Chicago websites!

http://twitter.com/fgfm

http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/Profile?oid=1162560

Nice picture FGFM! You didn't answer my question FGFM: Why waste your time being so negative in other Chicago websites?

Are you lonely? Ride the number 12 bus and visit Succezz, we'll be your friend!

Carl said...

^^ flagged for abuse ^^

FGFM said...

Ride the number 12 bus and visit Succezz, we'll be your friend!

Thanks, but I'd rather stroll over to Allen Edmonds.

Anonymous said...

Wow, this is getting tiring, and completely off point. Bottom line, FGFM and The Spin Ends Here should meet in a dark alley somewhere and have it out. Keep everyone else out of it!

FGFM said...

Keep everyone else out of it!

Mind yer own beeswax.

Anonymous said...

a cappella is opening. don't know when, tho.

inspections have been passed, licenses applied for, chef hired, staff being scouted.

i know these things because i work next door.