Category Archives: Business

Another skinny example

Posted on November 30, 2015 by

The subdivided retail unit next to the Round Lake Beach Kohl’s is STILL vacant. (We’ve been coming up with examples of other, successful businesses and activities which could make use of the space, but no takers so far. As shown in our original post about … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Design, Downtown, Economics | Leave a comment

Yay! Another Strip Mall!

Posted on November 8, 2015 by

Well, it was time for more “growth”, so they broke out the ol’ “What Should We Build Next?” Wheel.  When the “Build a Downtown” option fell off decades ago, it was replaced with “Spin Again”. They since have gotten so used to all the options … Continue reading →

Posted in Bicycling, Business, Design, Downtown, Planning, Walkability | 1 Comment

Vacant is as Vacant does

Posted on July 25, 2015 by

Decided to check for signs of life at the vacant retail unit next to Sally Beauty Supplies while getting some greeting cards at Ann’s Hallmark (same building as the Kohl’s). No sign of life. In fact, the “Unit For Lease” window … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Design, Downtown, Economics | 1 Comment

Our Former Applebee’s

Posted on July 16, 2015 by

[This post was started before the recent announcement about the re-purposing of the former RLB Applebee’s building. If this reads like it starts out in one direction, then changes course and heads another way, well… that’s exactly what happened.] Well, it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Economics, Planning | Leave a comment

Repairing the “Fabric” of our Lives

Posted on July 13, 2014 by

Sorry, could’t help but borrow the line from the old Cotton marketing campaign. We’re going to take a very quick look at “Repair” and “Recycle” from the “R”s of Sustainability. (Reduce / Re-use / Recycle / Repair / Repurpose / Rehome) as they … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Economics, Resilience | Leave a comment

Sunday Small-Business Blues

Posted on March 30, 2014 by

So this is the first “nice” weekend of spring (after that extra-nasty winter), and we were out and about today like good American consumers, spending money here, and planning to spend money later there. (That IS what we’re supposed to do, isn’t it? … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Downtown, Economics, Planning, Resilience, Walkability | Leave a comment

About those jobs…

Posted on March 2, 2014 by

While we’re waiting for the economy to “rebound” (ain’t gonna happen, but that’s another post), it is important to really understand that a lot of the well-paying, benefits-providing jobs that existed before the recession just aren’t coming back. More and more of the “middle … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Economics, Planning | Leave a comment

Local beats Corporate… again!

Posted on February 5, 2014 by

Have you shopped for a snow-shovel in Round Lake Beach lately? Maybe reload on some other supplies like roof de-icer? Unable to wait any longer, the RLB Home Depot removed their “Winter is here!” section the second week of January, … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Resilience | Leave a comment

“Showrooming” and the Local Economy

Posted on December 12, 2013 by

“Showrooming” is the practice of customers going into a retailer to investigate a product, whether for fit, complexity, size, operation, etc. They often rely on the expertise and knowledge of an employee or the business owner to find out more … Continue reading →

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Not the first time

Posted on September 29, 2013 by

Those of you who’ve been residents here for a while probably know this, but our soon-to-depart Round Lake Beach Kmart was originally elsewhere in town. Here’s a shot of it in its original location (click on it for full size). … Continue reading →

Posted in Business | 1 Comment