 |
A special thanks to everyone who came out to network and in support of the chamber's first public event. There was a nice mixture of both new and familiar faces. Special thanks to Jorgina of Sinha's for helping to make the event a great success.
|
Next Chamber Meeting on 18th!
A quick reminder that we decided to bump up our meeting time to best accommodate the upcoming holiday. Interested non member businesses are welcome to attend our chamber meetings. RSVP courtesy appreciated.
When: Wednesday November 18th, Noon
Where: 216 S Hoyne (map it)
|
Safety Alert
Brief clip taken of Sankofa's "It's in the Bag Boutique"
being robbed (broken into at night) on October 20, 2009 @ 3:50 AM.
Located at 2413 W Madison. Anyone able to identify the robber are advised to call
the Chicago Police immediately. View Clip.
|
Jimmy's Extreme Makeover
A heartfelt congratulations to Ishaq Sumira, owner of West Haven Market
& Grill for the fabulous makeover of what used to be known as Jimmy's Food
Plaza. The fantastic updates were about more than aesthetics, with an entirely
new kitchen for carry out. Located at 2132 W Washington Blvd --- view slideshow here.
|
Class Hair Salon's 2nd Anniv.
 This August marks the second anniversary of Class Hair Salon opening
its doors with a passion to bring the quality and service found
downtown (along Magnificent Mile) to the Near West Side. Slideshow included, continue . . .
|
Hush on Internet Highway
 A warm congratulations to Ms. Hunter of Tonya's Hush Boutique from going 0 to 60 on the internet highway. Slideshow included, continue . . .
|
Garbage Cans!!!
 A special thanks to those who followed through with our modest "Garbage Can Implementation Plan" for our retail corridor. These represent the first decorative garbage cans our community has ever had, and not surprisingly they fill up quick! When we initially wrote the plan, our neighborhood had 1 garbage and 56 bus stops.
|
CDC Top Ranked Website
 Our hard work in covering the West Haven community is getting city-wide attention among professional journalists. www.nearwestsidecdc.org was recently ranked #52 among all city-wide news websites, making our website the #1 local community-based website. The Chicago Reporter ranked #16, EveryBlock #24 and the Chicago Journal ranked #31. The rankings were determined among journalistic peers assembled by the Community Media Workshop and commissioned by the Chicago Community Trust. Congrats to the CDC for their recognition.
|
CleanSlate Does it Again
 A belated thanks to CleanSlate for cleaning up the site of the upcoming Pete's Fresh Market at Madison and Western. The Chamber continues to write grants to bring CleanSlate back to our commercial corridors.
|
New Commercial District Manager
A tip of the hat to Malik Elliot (melliott@garfieldpark.org) of East Garfield Park Conservatory's New Communities Program. NCP Director Mike Tomas recently hired a commercial district manager to encourage retail growth and development, and implement the community quality-of-life plan of our neighbors to the west.
|
Our name change is official
Our chamber recently completed the legal process of changing our name from Madison-Western Chamber of Commerce to Near West Side Chamber of Commerce. The purpose of this name change was primarily to better reflect our boundaries and all of our retail nodes.
|
Safety Committee Forming
Due to the recent break-in, Nancy of Sankofa clothing is interested in forming a Retail Safety Committee. A select number of local businesses have been reached out to. If enough interest is garnered, the Retail Safety Committee will meet briefly then advocate for a stronger Police presence during the holidays and especially at night time along our retail nodes.
|
Branding Committee Forming
The chamber quite recently received a generous grant to help with the branding of the chamber itself. A top notch graphic designer has been commissioned, and the branding committee (to be formed on Nov 18th) will help create our logo/logos for the recently resurrected & renamed Near West Side Chamber of Commerce.
|
LISC MetroEdge is Back
LISC MetroEdge is back in the community to update and expand upon their retail study of West Haven from 2007. With the community well on its ways to getting out of the food desert, and new boundaries for the new chamber the updated study will help flesh out what future may have in store. Thanks MetroEdge!
|
Chamber to get own website
The chamber will have its very own website, through another generous grant from LISC/Chicago. The website will focus on local businesses and will make the most of this great opportunity. Having an independent website opens all sorts of great possibilities and will great expand upon its content through the website of the Near West Side Community Development Corporation. The process may take upwards of 6 months.
|
We Make Quality Fliers
We want to see your business thrive in our neighborhood, because a
healthy business means a healthy chamber member. More importantly, we
also know that staying healthy in a downturn economy means no longer
taking a "wait and see" approach towards building your base of
customers, which is why our chamber proudly offers quality marketing
and promotional services for your business at prices that cannot be
beat. Chamber marketing application here.
|
Members
American Family Insurance
Angel's Restaurant
Class Hair Salon
D'Aprile Realty
Elite Truck Rental
Gentle Wash Mobile Detail
Jubilee Market
L.H. Interiors
National City Bank
Near West Side CDC
Sankofa Bag Boutique
Sachs Motor Sales
Sinha's Brazilian Cuisine
Second Chance Thrift
Shoomi
Tonya's Hush Boutique
Ward Associates
West Haven Coin Laundry
West Haven Market & Grill
|
|
| Application |
 Learn more about the benefits of joining the chamber today! Continue . . . |
| Services |
 Check out quality marketing services the chamber can provide, continue . . . |
| Lease |
An updated list of retail spaces available to lease in West Haven, click here.
|
| Business Reviews |
Check out Near West's growing list of multi-media business reviews, click here.
|
| Business Directory |
A complete list of business and services available in West Haven, click here.
|
| Retail Booklet |
Retail publication for existing and potential businesses, click here.
|
| Q-of-L Plan |
The community's recently updated quality-of-life plan. Click here to download. |
|
Check out our growing online photo library of the West Haven community, click here.
| |
|
