Tuesday, November 16, 2010

South Loop Provides One Challenge for The Shrine?

The Shrine at 2109 S. State continues to get great press and this is the case with a recent article we read in the Red Eye article "Looking fine, Shrine: The South Loop's Hip Hop HQ":
The South Loop-based club and lounge is emerging as a mandatory destination for movers and shakers on the hip-hop and entertainment scene. All the aforementioned artists, plus Common, Lupe Fiasco--who is appearing Sunday with aldermanic candidate Rhymefest--Devin Hester, LeBron "King" James and others have been to the ultra-modern lounge since it opened in summer 2009. It also is carving out a special niche as a place to see classic rap acts, including the recent reunion of Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth.
Although the positive press is great to read, one quote about the challenges the club faces sticks out in our mind:
There are challenges to The Shrine's longevity, one of them: location. Russo says when he scouted the area three years ago, the South Loop was on the rise. That doesn't appear to be the case now, he said.
Do you think The Shrine can survive with it's location? Personally I love the area down there. It's very urban, industrial and interesting to me. However, the fact is that for most people (including many South Loopers) south of 18th is no mans land. In our opinion it's mostly due to the lack of an EL stop close to this area. Another negative was the stigma that the Ickes homes had over the area. Since these have been torn down that shady element is as prevalent, but the perception still remains for most.

Anyway, The Shrine helps this area. The question is will it develop some foot traffic or is this just a wish?

(Image from Chicago Now)

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

The author appears to forget that there is a red line stop about 2 blocks from this venue at cermack.

Anonymous said...

I've been living near this area for the past 5 years, and in my opinion a decent amount of foot traffic is 7-10 years away. The main driving force is the economy, and I expect that to continue to be a slow improvement. Unless some major change occurs in this area: McCormick expansion (new hotels, conferences, etc), new EL stop, new technology park, or something simliar, I don't expect to see many changes for many years. Without a major change, improvement will start closer to the city and move south.

Anonymous said...

This is, and will remain, 'No Man's Land' as long as Hilliard and the remaining Ickes buildings are in that location. Longevity for a new endeavor is a pipe dream in that part of the Sloop, just ask the former owners of Cuatro and Room 21. The only "booming" business in that area are currancy exchanges and liquor stores. It is seedy and sketchy.

Anonymous said...

Anon 10:08am - that is simply not true. The times I've been to Reggie's it's been busy. Chef Luciano's business seems to be improving, and the club mentioned in this article appears to be doing okay. Cuatro had financial issues from the beginning, and Room21 had bad reviews from what I saw, so their closures were not just due to the area, although I agree the lack of foot traffic just made it happen faster.

The police and removal of some of the buildings has definitely made the area not sketchy or seedy anymore. I remember 3-4 years ago not wanting to drive or walk near Cermack/I-90-94 because of panhandlers and people just hanging around, but that has disappeared for the most part - no more than what you see in the Loop. I challege you to provide proof of your comments.

Brad R. said...

The one and only liquor store in the area CLOSED last week. Ickes does not exist anymore (the last two empty buildings are being knocked down) and Hilliard is now majority occupied by older Asian/AA demographic. The area is not shady, just needs development. Room 21 food was horrible and expensive. Shrine's problem is NOT LOCATION. It is that it is not catering to a diverse crowd like Funky Buddha Lounge did. I live in the area and would love to go, but do not. People come in droves to go to Tommy Gun's Garage across the street from Shrine.

Anonymous said...

Yeah the crowd is not catered toward a diverse crowd. Let's just keep it at that. Perhaps this club is not suited for the people in the South Loop. The Ickes homes were outdated and those living conditions were not fair to the people in there. Probably a lot cheaper to break them down, rather than fix them up. We need more developement. But start north 13th and 14th and then work your way to 18th and 19th. With gaps and empty storefronts everywhere the south loop has become a ghost town! Stop building CONDO's and focus on bringing in retail!!!

Anonymous said...

Anon @ 10:34 - Um, the actual owner of the club is quoted as conceding that (a) the location is the ONLY problem with the club; and (b) that the South Loop neighborhood is NOT on the rise.

What more proof do you want that this location is poor?

Matt said...

Anon: 417
Clearly what everyone else is saying is that the owner does not understand what the problem us. It is very typical for people, when struggling, to blame factors that are out of their control.

Ive lived in the south loop for 5 years and I won't go there because I feel that I would clearly stand out. Maybe that's my incorrect perception, but as a business owner, he should understand that this is a diverse neighborhood and he needs to provide services/entrttainment options to suit his location.

The location isn't the problem, his lack of understanding it is.

Matt said...

Anon: 417
Clearly what everyone else is saying is that the owner does not understand what the problem us. It is very typical for people, when struggling, to blame factors that are out of their control.

Ive lived in the south loop for 5 years and I won't go there because I feel that I would clearly stand out. Maybe that's my incorrect perception, but as a business owner, he should understand that this is a diverse neighborhood and he needs to provide services/entrttainment options to suit his location.

The location isn't the problem, his lack of understanding it is.

Anonymous said...

It makes no sense to criticize the Shrine's business model if you've never been. I'm in the liquor industry and they're easily one of the top 5 nightclubs in terms of revenue in the city. They actually bring people into the south loop who end up supporting businesses like Luciano's.

Also, if you ever go there, you'll find that they actually do have some level of diversity. I'm not just talking about race either. You'll find skateboarders, hipsters, professional "looking" people all enjoying themselves. If you feel like you'll stand out, maybe that's just your problem of being afraid of anything other than your small comfort zone. Friend them on facebook and take a look at some of the pictures.

Anonymous said...

That doesn't add up. If they're one of the "top 5 nightclubs in terms of revenue in the city" why are they complaining about location? It's obviously not hurting them. If anything, people probably like that location because there's plenty of street parking unlike trying to drive up to the northside.

Anonymous said...

They are NOT one of the top 5 clubs in the city as far as revenue. If that were the case, the owner wouldn't be voicing concerns over his location.

And yeah, the photos which accompany this post look really diverse.

Brad R. said...

The majority of people going to Shrine or a place like Reggie's don't even live in the south loop, so the LOCATION does not matter. Shrine's 'business model' was to cater to a 30-40 year old professional AA demographic..like M Lounge. I support both, but just don't need to waste $30-50.

Anonymous said...

I don't see it so much as a complaint. I think it is a recognition of their challenges. Also, maybe you should tell us a good example of the diversity you're seeking in a night club. Does it exist?

As for the revenue discussion, you're really talking about V Live, Excalibur,Enclave and Underground, Lasalle Power Company(at night) then comes the Shrine.

Oh and you're right. Everybody in that picture is the same. Lebron or Common are probably the same guy. As I said, just enjoy your box realize that it's only your problem.

Anonymous said...

That soundbar/y bar group should be included as well.

Brad - last comment said...

Anon 11:23 - please do not ever post here again. We are not talking about the super talents of Common, LeBron, etc.. We're speaking about the patrons that Russo is targeting. A good example of diversity is ANY OTHER MUSIC VENUE in proper Chicago.

Anonymous said...

That's exactly the point. The poster before me mentioned the picture that accompanied the post with famous people saying that it wasn't diverse. That would be like seeing a picture of Justin Timberlake, Kid Rock and Michael Buble and saying that they're all the same. They're not. They all cater to different crowds.

The other thing is that the majority of their business is not as a music venue. It's a nightclub that happens to get some musical acts and other celebrities.

Anonymous said...

The type of foot traffic The Shrine generates is not the type of foot traffic I want in my neighborhood.