Dynamic Diversity..
I usually see quite a few African-immigrants here: I found- the female manager at an African grocery is a Nigerian. She has come to US when she was 7..She said - lot of African people also live in this neighborhood, and their nationalities are very diverse..such as. "Liberian, Ethiopian, Ghanaian, Beninese, Senegalese, Sudanese or just from all African countries."
I entered the other ethnic groceries around the corner of Granville-Winthrop : one shop is run by a Korean man in his late 50s, who started his shop in 1987. The other grocery shop’s clerk was an Armenian, and bunch of (Near-Eastern looking..?) male customers were inside the shop (They talked in a strange tongue.. The clerk said his customers are “from all over Europe”...)
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| at a small grocery in Granville |
I returned to the Broadway and also asked about the manager’s nationality at the large antique shop, “Edgewater Antique Mall” on the street- next to the Popeye’s—he said he is a 3rd generation French immigrant, whose grand parents first came from France in early 1900s ..“about 100 years ago,” and started restaurants in Cleveland, OH..He said both of his parents had college degrees and became architects and book-keeper..He moved to Chicago by himself to open his antique shop 10 just years ago.. Attracting Yuppies.
I also visited Foster Ave (the south boundary of Edgewater near Berwin sta,) and Andersonville (near Foster & Clark.). Foster Ave is said to be historical - certain..old “Saddle & Cycle Company” was located here..- but nobody around here knew such an old name, if I asked. I asked the shop clerk at the huge Dominick’s Super market at Foster & Sheridan.. about what is conspicuous about Foster Ave—she said, it is only “known by its high crime rate..there are a lot of robbery”..
.On my way to Andersonville, I found a "Yard Sale"- a couple of elderly white women sitting in front of their house, showing a lot of artifacts from their home. An old woman answered to my casual interview. Although they live on the edge of Andersonville’s Swedish area, she is a German resident who has been living there since her great-grand parents moved into this area in 1960s. Asked about how the neighborhood changed, she said, “Clark Street used to be much more thriving.. There were much more shops and businesses”- Andersonville seems to be comparatively declined..
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| "Andersonville" |
She said- there is also a big Korean town with “a lot of Korean businesses” in more south along the Broadway..or more Uptown. (Later I realized.. the “Korean town” which she referred to was about the Chinese-Vietnamese town in Argyle, while.. she said “Koreans” move into the area from 1970s..) She thinks her neighborhood is peaceful, and its crime rate is not especially high but just average..
In Andersonville, there are some shops apparently Swedish –restaurants, groceries, furniture shops etc— including the Swedish Immigrant Museum (holding a nice exhibition) on Clark St. Also, many other ethnic shops are seen, such as Italian pizza parlor, a big Persian Grocery (selling Turkish coffee and goods, variety of Middle-Eastern foods..,) “Reza” Persian restaurant..since 1983, a stylish vintage clothing and antique shop (which was opened five year ago by Scottish,) etc. The large Irish bar on the corer was opened one year ago by an “European” owner.. Trendy-looking new shops are now mushrooming here ..cafes, eateries, apparel shops, like Akira Chicago...all attracting urban Yuppies apparently coming from other towns and strolling about the Clark St.— the atmosphere is almost like small Wickerpark (like..hip Brooklyn Ave area in New York) although, no counter-culture music/book store is seen. I also saw three Japanese female students from Northwestern Univ.. Old Swedish neighborhood is now, transforming to a multi-cultural, trendy spot..
Edgewater “Home Tour” back in mid September..
Other than nice architectural details, I was also interested in the homes’ current owners who guided the visitors. One of the houses was owned by couple of female craft designers (cool, fashionable-looking white and black woman, who uses the house as their atelier.) The others who furnished their home with futuristic modern furniture.. were a gay couple. The house next to the church was former property of Mills Company Chicago, (a manufacturer of self playing violin and piano since late 19C to 1920s) – there were amazing collection of old, wooden mechanical music machines (Player Pianos, Nickelodeon Orchestions, Jukeboxes, Phonographs, etc…) still exhibited inside, though its current owners seemed unrelated to the company. Other owners include people of ordinary kind. I was impressed by these owners who looked like yuppie people, who purchased such venerable, elegant houses as they like.
There was somewhat artistic and cultural scent in this area.. It was also detected when I came to this area... I found there was art exhibitions and Spanish guitar concerts in the Starbucks at the corner of Bryn Mawr ave.. held by female African American manager; Café Metropolis near Granville also regularly shows artists’ works in the shop... There are also, many senior residence facilities found in Edgewater. A public senior housing is seen at Ardmore- Kenmore, with a nice, hotel-like entrance.There are some other condos on Sheridan Rd.. or Broadway-Ardmore, and also, some high-rise condos on the Holywood Beach (Osterman Beach) - supposed to be mostly for the seniors. Former Edgewater Beach Hotel’ s building may be also, mostly lived by them..A big, greyish CHA building is at Devon-Broadway. Number of disabled people came back by bus are incessantly getting into the building, ."they are living here" said the reception woman..
Walgreen's were Swedish immigrants
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| Akira Chicago.. in Andersonville |
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| Scottish run Antique shop |
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| wax Swedish immigrant doll |
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| Persian grocery |
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| Nigerian grocery |
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| French-run Broadway Antique Market |
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