Logan Square’s La Placita A Boon For Nearby Businesses

LOGAN SQUARE — For the first time since Pixie & The Boy opened in 2021, owner Trish Carnevale has been able to hire employees to help manage her gift shop.

The colorful shop, 2605 N. Milwaukee Ave., is one of at least 10 businesses near Kedzie and Milwaukee reaping the benefits of more outdoor seating, weekly art events and added crosswalks that are part of La Placita, the new plaza that is part of the recently completed square redesign project.

With construction over, Pixie & The Boy’s sales are up and it has been busier than ever, Carnevale said. The Logan Square Farmers Market’s new location across from the store — and the indie vendors who set up shop at La Placita every Sunday — have helped significantly.

But an unlikely part of the square’s redesign takes the cake for the shop’s increased business: the new crosswalk out front.

“I was always busy on Sundays, and then for the two [construction] years, it really messed up my sales,” Carnevale said. “But as soon as this crosswalk was put in, oh my God, it just got better and better and better.”

The new crosswalk has a longer light, which Carnevale thinks has increased her shop’s visibility as well as local foot traffic — and she is grateful for the redesign.

Next door, the patio at Webster Wine Bar at 2601 N. Milwaukee Ave. has been consistently full most evenings, with more people wanting to dine in the later hours, said owners Tonya Pyatt and Nik Wells.

“The reconstruction has alleviated accidents with pedestrians and cyclists, and now it slows the traffic down,” Pyatt said. “Now that construction is over with, there’s lots of foot traffic, and we have a bigger patio.”

Other nearby business owners who now have bigger patios that face La Placita agreed, saying the added pedestrian space has been a boon for business — which officials had hoped would be the intended outcome.

“To have bazaar vendors over here every Sunday has been helpful,” said Dominik Kapias, owner of Smoke Station, 2627 N. Kedzie Ave. “They should have shopping events a few times a week to get people walking because as far as the economy goes, it’s still up and down.

“What these bazaars have taught us is that the businesses in Logan Square do live and die by foot traffic.”

Logan Square Chamber of Commerce officials have said they plan to bring more non-market events to the area plazas, and the nearby Comfort Station has a series of art events.

When construction began, some local business owners initially complained about having less parking and losing space for deliveries as part of the updated Kedzie route and the heavy construction. But more recently, owners told Block Club sales are up and the loading zone in front of the Blue Line has been helpful for deliveries.

Le Trinh Hien, who opened the BánhMi Spot at 2631 N. Kedzie Ave. just before the 2024 construction season, said customers still complain about parking around the new square. Drivers picking up deliveries from BánhMi Spot or nearby Reno have been seen idling along Kedzie or on Milwaukee, but Hien tells them to go elsewhere to avoid getting a ticket or congesting the streets.

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There are other downsides: With the updated La Placita has come more loitering, loud music, public intoxication and trash, similar to the gatherings at Paseo Prairie Garden across the street, some business owners said.

There have been arguments among people at the plaza, and one person pulled a knife on another person last month during the market, Hien said.

Hien wants benches removed to curb the issue, though Ald. Anthony Quezada (35th) said that’s not possible.

Officials said the only remedy is to call police if there are disturbances after 10 p.m.

“Our approach is not to remove the very features that make a public space welcoming, but to manage the space better,” Quezada said in a statement. “We’ve been working with the Department of Streets and Sanitation to address maintenance concerns, improve trash collection and respond to quality-of-life issues as they arise. Additionally, we continue to work with community partners on future activations to ensure a positive community presence.”

Despite those issues, most area business owners and neighbors said La Placita is a success so far — though they’ve also said the green bike lane needs more signs to avoid cyclists, children and pedestrians crowding it.

“I love that there’s more room for the restaurants, because they deserve it, and I love that it’s more walkable,” Carnevale said.