Bronzeville retail tour gets 'em in the door

• Deborah Alexander
• October 14, 2009

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As every retailer knows, you could have the greatest merchandise in the world, but unless you get customers in the door, what’s the point? Last month, an enterprising group in Bronzeville addressed that issue by scheduling retail tours and offering special discounts to interested shoppers.

The outreach was part of Connect 4, the first of what its organizers – the United Bronzeville Businesses (UB² for short) and NCP lead agency Quad Communities Development Corp. (QCDC) – hope will be an annual event to promote community togetherness and local shopping along the Cottage Grove corridor.

“People don’t know about the businesses and therefore could not support them,” said Bernita Johnson-Gabriel, QCDC’s executive director, who also conducted the tours. (For an article about how business owners along Cottage Grove Avenue have formed an association to strengthen their collective hand, please click here.)

UB² comprises 10 local businesses that got together three months ago to come up with a strategy for attracting new shoppers.  Faye Edwards, the owner of Faié African Art Gallery, 4317 S. Cottage Grove Ave.; and Nicole Jones, owner of Sensual Shoes, 4518 S. Cottage Grove Ave., are co-chairing the organization.

The Gabriela, 4315 S. Cottage Grove Ave., was the pick-up and drop-off site on September 26 for the 15-minute tours conducted by trolley. Residents waiting inside the building watched slide shows of the businesses and QCDC, listened to various community and political leaders discuss community and retail development, and picked up business cards and other information about UB² members.

“The more people who become interested in this area, the better it will be,” said Denise Sanders, a South Loop resident who shopped at Fort Smith Boutique, one of the Bronzeville businesses at 1007 E. 43^rd St. The boutique’s owner, Clifford Fort Smith, said his business, which sells designer clothing, custom-made jewelry, purses and accessories, is the only boutique between 16^th and 53^rd streets to offer such items.

“People who live in the community are not aware of what is down the street from them,” he said. “This opens up what is available, and then the word spreads.” As a member of the UB², Smith said the business association “is not just interested in the growth of their businesses, but also the growth of Bronzeville.”

For an article about the new association of business owners along Cottage Grove Avenue, please click here.

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