Sneak a Peek at This New Shoe Store

By Victoria Scott

The owners of ATE20, left to right, Dorie Hicks, Lili Largent and Danielle Dickerson show off a few of their favories shoes as the sneaker store gets ready for its first back-to-school rush.

The ritual pleasure of wearing new clothes on the first day of school has lured many a child back from summer vacation. But the high-status shoes coveted by kindergartners and teens alike can be unaffordable for many families.

Now ATE20, a three-month-old shoe store whose name spells out its address at 820 Dempster St., is trying to prove "you don't have to be rich to be stylish," to quote its owners.

They have one word of advice for would-be fashionistas: sneakers.

Like Sarah Jessica Parker, who recently launched a line of affordable fashions, owner Danielle Dickerson says, "We're happy to have styles people can afford. I know parents are faced with the issue of the cost of children's trends."

Ms. Dickerson; her fiancé, Dorie Hicks; and her friend of nearly 30 years, Lili Largent, opened their "sneakers store" as a way to "put a little flair in our lives," she says, and at the same time "do something that counted."

As for flair, they point out that rapper Kanye West is not the only guy sporting sneakers with suits. Their recognizing a growing trend toward sneakers as "more of a fashion statement" helped the trio decide to "bring affordable, cutting-edge, casual sneakers" to Evanston.

Research convinced them there was "no boutique like [ATE20] on the North Shore," says Ms. Dickerson. In fact, she says, North Shore teens previously drove to Chicago's West Side to find the fashion-forward shoes they craved.

The store stocks LaCoste, Vans, Converse and, for fall, Adidas, Puma, Creative Recreation and J Shoes in designs the owners say are bolder than those the chain stores carry. They have one model with a bull's-eye pattern, another with a black and white design to be colored with the accompanying markers, and another with a flower-covered skull the owners call the "Day of the Dead." At least one pair sports Evanston Township High School orange and blue and another, Northwestern University purple.

While the owners envisioned their clientele as mostly 17- to 35-year-old males, they have been surprised. Their very first customer was an 85-year-old woman. Both children and their middle-aged moms have found their way over from the nearby Kumon tutoring center, and recent ATE20 orders reflect the altered demographics.

With the bachelor-pad set in mind, the store also carries consignment furniture pieces that fit with what the owners call its "industrial look." The retro chairs, metal table and 1950s barbershop station all have price tags, though the racks from an Evanston fire station now used to display shoes are not for sale.

The concept of the store was several years in development. Mr. Hicks, a Detroit native, had long been encouraged by a mentor to be an entrepreneur. When he and Ms. Dickinson began tossing around the idea of opening a retail store, they thought first of apparel, he says - of "urban gear." Ms. Dickerson defines the style as "street clothes" - a look she calls "city-meets-suburbs."

"It's Armani suits with PF Flyers," she says, naming the old-school brand of sneakers ATE20 will be stocking later this fall.

The store represents "Sneakers: The Lifestyle," say the owners. They are referring to a sneakers culture that encompasses everything from music to a traveling exhibit of sneakers painted by famous artists.

For best friends Danielle Dickerson and Lili Largent, the store represents a chance to support their community. "That's how we were raised - to give back," says Ms. Dickerson.

She is hoping to organize a sneakers design contest for ETHS students and would like to involve kids from the community in music events as well. She worked for a time in the music industry, and Mr. Hicks' brother, an on-air radio host in Michigan, has already sent e-mails inviting music reps to bring their talent to the Evanston store.

Rather than using established firms to provide graphic design, modeling and artistic talent, ATE20 is giving local youth a chance. "Our fuel is the kids," says Ms. Dickerson. The store is collecting gently used shoes for a group called Soles 4 Souls, which sends them to disaster sites around the world. Contributors receive a $10 ATE20 coupon.

The three owners are keeping their day jobs for the present and have divided the work at the store to suit their schedules and skills. Mr. Hicks is a pharmaceutical rep for Novartis, Ms. Dickinson is a realtor, and Ms. Largent works in the policy and research department at Northwestern University.

Having steady jobs, they say, "allows you to focus on your passion," and to "be creative without worrying about a paycheck." Though they admit their schedules are hectic, Mr. Hicks sums up their attitude with a promise someone once made to him: "If you do something you love, you will never work a day in your life."

To Be Successful, Downtown Must Be Dense, Consultants Say

By Bill Smith

Downtown Plan Committee memberslast week concluded that Evanstonians asked for the impossible when they demanded both increased retail activity and less traffic congestion duringlast month'sdowntown charrette planning process.

City consultant Tom Smith of Duncan Associates said that in reviewing thousands of comments residents made during the planning process, "most people still think of downtown as a shopping district, and their primary concern is maintaining that" and making the shopping experience even better.

But many residents also complained that traffic is too congested downtown or voiced fears new development would make the situation intolerable.

"That's the central issue," Mr. Smith said; "people don't necessarily understand that downtown, to be really successful, has to be a really busy place."

Plan Commissioner David Galloway said, "People are failing to make the connection and see the sustainable benefits of higher density residential development and transit-oriented development."

EvMark Executive Director Diane Williams said, "Businesses want traffic congestion. They want feet on the street that will end up in the stores."

Mr. Smith said that in numerous cities where he has been a consultant, "All the retailers I've worked with say, if it's really congested - that's what they want."

Plan Commission Chairman James Woods, noting that some residents had complained that the City's parking garages are too crowded, added, "If there aren't cars in those parking garages, that's a problem."

Mr. Smith said, "The function of downtown is to be a central place, the hub of activity in the community. It's where people want to go to find things to do and lots going on.

"So if you want to have downtown function that way, it means more density, more activity, more traffic generators," he added. "The relationship between density and a really successful downtown has to be made more clear."

He added that downtown residential development, which provides new customers for businesses in the district, has a relatively small impact on traffic congestion.

"Restaurants and bars create far more traffic problems than the residential does," Mr. Smith said, adding, "They generate a lot more traffic on a square-foot basis."

And he suggested the different types of traffic generators tend to balance each other out.

"Residential has traffic flows at really predictable times of day. So do bars and restaurants. And they aren't necessarily all coming together at the same time. When people are leaving their apartments in the morning, there's not much action at the businesses," he said.

Ms. Williams said that Evanston's downtown "is hardly horrible for traffic now. There's minimal stacking going on."

Plan Commissioner Larry Widmayer said he believes the new Sherman Plaza garage is working very well and that it usually has plenty of space available.

Mr. Smith said, "People have funny attitudes about the garages. They recognize that it's good to have garage parking available, but they still want to park right in front of a shop."

Ms. Williams added that in her own consulting work, "I've been in communities where you could fire a cannon down the main drag and not hit anything, and still people tell you that they have parking problems."

Mr. Smith said the consulting team hopes to post a summary of the charrette process on the City's website, www.cityofevanston.org, within the next few days.

The next Downtown Plan Committee meeting is scheduled for 8 a.m. on Sept. 11 at the Civic Center.

John J. Cahill, Inc. Re-Energizes Kitchen & Bath Division

With a new focus on its kitchen-and-bath division, John J. Cahill, Inc. is poised to remodel vintage kitchens and bathrooms across Chicago's North Shore. The newly re-energized Cahill kitchen-and-bath division will focus on transforming the outdated vintage kitchen into its new, functional role as the social center of the modern family home as well as update bathrooms to the meet the stylistic and operational demands of home owners.

Led by 27-year Cahill veteran Randy Hunt and newly hiredtransformation specialist Pat Kelly, the kitchen-and-bath division hopes to expand on the long-standing Cahill service offerings of plumbing and heating and cooling systems (HVAC).

"While we've been providing kitchen and bath remodeling for years, to make our offering in this area even more robust, we recently hired a new division head, Pat Kelly, who has years of experience in kitchen and bath design and implementation, specifically for vintage homes," said John J. Cahill Sr., third-generation owner.

McGaw YMCA Has New VP for Fund Development

Evanston resident Matthew Moy Johnson has joined the McGaw YMCA staff in the senior development position as the Vice President of Fund Development.

"I am delighted to have Matt join the Y leadership team. He brings passion, expertise, and knowledge of the community we serve to this important role," Executive Director Bill Geiger said.

"It is an exciting time at the McGaw YMCA, as we prepare for our 125th year of serving Evanston and beyond. The Y is so diverse and broad in what it does for our community; it truly is a critical partner in strengthening Evanston and the surrounding area," said Mr. Johnson. "Children and family are the core of a strong community, and my wife and I have already invested in the Y to help as we raise our children. I hope in my new position at the Y to help strengthen many more children and many more families."

New President for ENH Foundation

Evanston Northwestern Healthcare (ENH) has appointed Colleen Durbin Mitchell as President of the ENH Foundation, replacing outgoing President Ronald Spaeth. She joins the ENH Foundation as it approaches the completion of its $150 million fundraising campaign. She is a graduate of The Ohio State University and a resident of Evanston.

"The Campaign for Evanston Northwestern Healthcare has been instrumental in helping to communicate our mission and underscoring that through philanthropic support, people can make a difference in the health and well-being of the patients and families we are privileged to serve," said Mark Neaman, president and chief executive officer of ENH. "Colleen's combined experience as a fundraising executive and in the corporate sector makes her uniquely qualified to lead the ENH Foundation and continue the Campaign's success."

"The ENH Board members, administrators and Foundation staff have an authentic and personal commitment to the organization, to the people with whom they work and to the patients they serve," Ms. Mitchell said. "I want to bring this same commitment to ENH and take the Foundation's achievements to the next level of excellence."

Three Crowns Park Names New Director, Residential Services

Three Crowns Park is undergoing an expansion to increase the number of independent living, assisted living and nursing center units. With this expansion came the need to hire a director to oversee the services of the new Independent Living community, McDaniel Courts. Pam Anderson is the former Executive Director for Washington Square of Hinsdale, a retirement community where she worked for 22 years.

When asked what she finds most satisfying about her work, Pam said, "For me, being with this generation is energizing, stimulating, and very gratifying. I am especially fortunate to be here at Three Crowns Park where cutting-edge improvements are being made that will benefit everyone who is lucky enough to live here."

Evanston's Greener Cleaner

On August 8 Mayor Lorraine Morton (center) joined Victor Seyedin, owner of Lake City Cleaners, 831 Emerson, and L. Ross Beard (left), president and CEO of R.R. Street & Co. Inc., to mark the world debut of the new Solvair Cleaning System. Not only does the new cleaning method, which the Naperville company spent over 10 years perfecting, remove stains more effectively, but it is also more environmentally-friendly.

Co-owner Janice Seyedin said about 85 percent of dry cleaners in the U.S. use perchloroethylene (or ‘perc' as it is known in the business) as their cleaning solvent. "There's a general feeling it's not good," she said, speaking about perc's environmental effects.

The new Solvair system uses a biodegradable cleaner, similar to commonly used household cleaners. The system also dries garments without using heat. Instead, liquid carbon dioxide rinses the cleaning solvent from the garment, which is then dried in less than ten seconds by converting the liquid to gas.

Lake City Cleaners will still offer its regular cleaning service, Mr. Seyedin said. But for a 10 percent increase in price, the Solvair Cleaning System will make gowns and sport coats shine without such a dark stain on the environment.