Chicago (CBS) — Crime, safety, and lack of police patrols are all pending reasons why some small business owners in Chicago say they’ve had enough and are ready to move.
One of these owners has a long history downtown, as reported by CBS 2 political researcher Dana Kozlov. She owns Sugar Bliss, located in her Palmer House Hilton building at 122 S. Wabash Ave., and has been in business for over ten years.
But last week, after someone vandalized her store and tried to steal her purse while she was there, she’s rethinking her future in Chicago — and she’s not alone.
Sugar Bliss owner Teresa Ging said:
Ging said the joy of working at the cupcake and cookie store was replaced by stress. That’s because of incidents like the one that happened last Friday.
“He came to the front door of our store and then to the cash register,” Jin said.
This happened in broad daylight at 10:20 am on Friday. Afterwards, the man threw part of the store in the trash, and security cameras caught him trying to steal his wallet on the way home.
This all happened while Ging was giving a Women in Business Networking meeting.
“It happened very quickly, but I’m sad to say that this is – I mean, I’m paralyzed by this. You know what I mean?” she said. Told. “It happens at least once a month.”
Jin called the police. They showed up 40 minutes later. She then emailed Aldo Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Brendan Riley (42nd) and others.
Jin is in high spirits. So is Uzma, the owner of Choco Rauzma at 1900 South Halstead Street, Pilsen community, and his Sharif.
“We can’t live like this. This is what the city has become. I can’t say Gotham City is any better because of Batman,” Sharif said. “Look, you don’t have Batman. You know what I mean?”
After nine years in Pilsen, a 2021 robbery and a friend’s carjacking just around the corner, Sharif closed his retail store at the end of September and moved to the suburbs.
According to her, suburbs “are places that have well-funded police departments and want our business. It will be DuPage or Will County.”
Ging does something similar. A long-term lease will allow her shop to stay in the loop for several years, but she now needs a new manufacturer of prepackaged cookies.
“When I start calling co-packers, it’s not Chicago anymore, it’s outside Chicago,” she said.
Both Jin and Sharif feel that city leaders are not paying enough attention to the safety of small businesses. Add to that list the shortage of police and the year-on-year increase in most crimes, and they feel they have no other choice.
Sharif: “It’s happening everywhere. That’s my concern.”
Kozlov: “So you really feel that getting out of town is the only option when it comes to retail.”
Sharif: “Unless I hire a 24/7 security guard to stand at my door, that’s my only option.”
Kozlov looked at statistics and found that while crimes such as murder were down across the city, robberies, robberies, thefts and carjackings were up.
Both Ging and Sharriff say these numbers are even more significant given that the majority of small business owners are women.
Dana Kozlov
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