For the last 27 years, Joan Curto has inhabited an antique shop in the Old Orland Historic District, a modest spot on a modest street in a once-modest town. Despite it being 2007, there are no street lights or nightlife—just a two-block strip blanketed by antique shops and one 40-plus year old general store inviting all to step back in time.
Sometimes, admits Curto, she catches a glimpse of a passing Metra train, the modern-day horse and carriage riding on the lumber and iron of yesteryear, and envisions the town’s earliest residents stepping off the train, dropping their bags, inhaling the air, and welcoming themselves to their new home—Orland Park.
“Maybe that’s a little too dramatic,” acknowledges Curto, the owner of Cracker Barrel Antiques, “but it’s the picture I have in my mind.’
Marty Sherlock was but a teenager when his father, Joseph Sherlock, stumbled upon an abandoned boat store on 157th Street and figured the vacant spot would serve the ideal location for his carpet business showroom.
“It was nothing but cornfields and open land,” says Marty Sherlock of his first impressions of 1980’s Orland Park. “But my dad saw something when he moved here—a potential for growth.”
And grow Orland Park did.
Incorporated in 1892, Orland Park maintained its small town reality well into the 1960s when population remained under 3,000. In the second half of the century, however, Orland Park boomed, characterizing the late 20th century’s influx of automobile-based suburbs. Awaking from a decades-long slumber, the village stood, spread its arms, and began welcoming residential subdivisions, retail strips, and playgrounds for the young and old.
By 2000, the village’s population had topped 50,000 and Orland Park was well on its way to becoming one of the Chicago most robust communities. Today, Orland Park claims nearly 60,000 residents and survives as the Southland’s primary retail center and one of its most popular destinations for dining, shopping, and recreation.
As Marty Sherlock can attest, this is not your father’s Orland Park.
“This town,” he says, “wasn’t anything that it is now. The area’s just boomed.”
Taking pause, Sherlock, who today runs the Sherlock Carpet and Tile business his father started in 1974, adds: “You know, there are places here that we never would’ve thought could’ve made it out here. The town’s evolved and we’ve evolved right alongside it.”
Dan McLaughlin, now in his 15th year as Orland Park Mayor, says a longstanding joke among residents arrived in discussion of local dining spots.
“The joke used to be that this town only had fast food, but one of the most noticeable things in Orland Park these days is the amount of nice restaurants in town,” he says, highlighting the fact that Orland Park now includes such notable establishments as 94 West, Harrison’s, Fox’s Pizza, and, the community’s latest gem, Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurant, which opened in late 2005.
McLaughlin admits the evolution of Orland Park took time, but has nevertheless arrived.
“In the 1980s and ‘90s, this community was so fast growing with residential that it took some time for the commercial to catch up,” says McLaughlin, who moved to Orland Park in 1979 and immediately became involved in village matters. “Any town that grows up with the older style grid system and strip centers slowly transforms itself with better layout and planning.”
The village’s attention to detail and growth, meanwhile, catapulted it into recognition as one of the nation’s top flight communities. In 2006, Money Magazine placed Orland Park among America’s top 50 places to live, praising the Southland community specifically for its arts, leisure, and education. The honor, says McLaughlin, demonstrates the village’s longstanding plan to elevate Orland Park into an elite destination.
When you get a national honor you’re happy for the entire village. It’s a recognition that takes into consideration a lot of individual and collective effort. I just hope the community feels as proud about it as I do because it’s a wonderful honor,” he says.
With over 20 area golf courses and a hoist of recreation opportunities, Orland Park established itself as one of the area’s most attractive spots for play. In 2002, the Village of Orland Park Sportsplex opened on 159th Street near Wolf Road. The 90,000 square foot facility, which now claims over 3600 members in addition to a plethora of walk-in clients, holds a 10,000 square feet fitness center, three gymnasiums, an indoor soccer field, an aerobics studio for yoga and Pilates, a 35-foot climbing wall, indoor running track, and child care facilities.
“The village officials saw a need for a facility like this, particularly as the community continued to expand,” says Ray Piattoni, facility administrator at the Sportsplex. “The first mission is toward the needs of residents here and improving their quality of life.”
As a retail destination, meanwhile, Orland Park is among the Southland’s most active areas, anchored in large part by a flurry of activity on LaGrange Road. The 30-year-old Orland Square mall at 151st Street stands as the village’s most noteworthy shopping hotspot. Renovated and expanded in 1996, Orland Square boasts 1.2 million square feet of retail space and resides as the Southland’s largest, most upscale retail location.
Indeed, Orland Park’s status as a host to elegant specialty retailers has emerged alongside its increasing rank as a vibrant dining destination.
Most retailers were attracted to Orland Park by one word—potential.
“It was obvious that Orland Park was going to be a huge growth center. It already had a major mall and a number of people migrating to the area,” recalls Jim Morrison, owner of Morrison’s Ethan Allen, an interior design center breaking from its reputation as a furniture store alone.
Morrison opened his Ethan Allen store at 155th Street and Harlem Ave 19 years ago at the urging of the company’s Danbury, Connecticut-based corporate headquarters.
“The corporate office saw value and potential in this area, the same thing so many of us saw. Everything was in place for it to be a vibrant, active community, which it has certainly turned out to be” says Morrison.
Corrine Casto-Coventry shares a similar story. Her father, Frank Casto, opened an outpost for his six-decades old Roseland Draperies in the mid-1990s and the custom drapery shop’s showroom has called 147th Street home since.
“My father saw so much development in the area and a spot that could be accessed by so many other neighboring communities,” says Casto-Coventry. “And we’ve certainly benefited from all that potential being recognized.”
Little by little, says McLaughlin, the community showed its demographics could support high-end retailers. So much had Orland Park’s reputation as a retail destination sprouted, in fact, that Evanston-based Davis Street Land Company, a respected national developer of upscale properties and Main Street-styled communities approached the village with plans for such a development.
In late 2005, Davis Street Land launched Orland Park Crossings at 143rd Street and LaGrange Road. Buoyed by the presence of national names, such as Coldwater Creek, Talbots, Chico’s, and Ann Taylor, as well as boutique retailers, including Black Tie Draperies, Francesca’s Collection, and Eden Aveda Salon and Spa, Orland Park Crossings has emerged a new gem in the village’s retail landscape—not to mention its dining status with P.F. Chang’s China Bistro and the fall debut of Granite City Food and Brewery. Future plans for the area include the continued mix of national and local specialty retailers coupled with a mix of office and residential developments.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of growth in Orland Park and we see Orland Park Crossings as a property designed specifically to provide upscale retail and dining options for residents,” says Davis Street Land Company’s Scott McClure.
But more, Orland Park Crossings shows the village’s emerging focus on pedestrian-friendly developments, a change from decades past. Today, says McLaughlin, considerable thought by village planners and their partners results in better-schemed developments.
“For many years it was a battled between developers and the municipal planners. After years of doing the little things and analyzing how things should be laid out, we’ve settled on developments that are attractive and pedestrian-friendly. You’re now seeing it in new developments such as Orland Crossings and you’re going to continue seeing it in what’s to come,” promises McLaughlin.
Much work remains on an ambitious village slate, contends McLaughlin, but few are gaining as much attention as he village’s redevelopment plans for the Old Orland Historic District, the village’s former central gathering place at 143rd Street just west of LaGrange Road.
“We’ve been working with a development team to get this going for years, but in the last year-and-a-half those plans have started to move quicker,” tells McLaughlin. “Within a year or two, people should begin to see the development take shape.”
Central to the community’s redevelopment of its former downtown area stands a Metra station. As other Chicagoland communities have done, including Orland’s neighbor to the east, Tinley Park, the hope remains that a transportation post will anchor a mixed-use area featuring shopping, dining, and residential units. A pedestrian bridge at 143rd Street, meanwhile, will connect the Old Orland Historic District with the aforementioned Orland Park Crossings.
“This is the real Orland Park, exactly what was there 100 years ago. It’s a unique area,” says McLaughlin, “and we’re anxious to get things moving. The entire area will be something attractive.”
For Joan Curto and her fellow antique dealers in the Old Orland section, the mayor’s words sing a beautiful tune.
“Our little sleepy hollow over here,” she says, “was a nice place for our business, but had been forgotten for some time. With these redevelopment plans, the town will get a unique ambiance it hasn’t had for some time. It will create an entire different look and feel for Orland Park and will become just one more place to entice people.”
Friday, October 26, 2007
Writing Sample #12: Location, location, location: Finding the best spot for your pizzeria requires research before rewards (Pizza Today, October 2007)
Location, location, location has long been the guiding axiom of real estate, a mantra surviving in the residential world as well as the commercial arena. Pick the wrong spot for your location and doom could follow; select the right home and you’ll be baking pies for years.
“It’s important for a pizzeria to identify its key demographics and then strategically position itself to capitalize on that location,” says Russell Barnett, head of the restaurant specialty group for CB Richard Ellis, one of the nation’s leading real estate services firms.
While perhaps easier to execute in theory than reality, an operator’s research skills must take flight if the right location is to be found. From population growth to underserved communities and from tax legislation to competitive environments, the finished product provides success, but a well-scouted location surely doesn’t hurt.
Emerging Communities
On May 15, Steve Cornelius opened his Nick-N-Willy’s Pizza outpost in Elk Grove, California, a booming community near Sacramento. An Elk Grove resident, Cornelius said he was motivated by the sprouting population—Elk Grove had doubled in size since 2000—and presence of few established pizzerias.
“It was a growing area, so we knew that we could grow right alongside it,” Cornelius says, noting the advantage of opening in a spot where loyalties are scarce given such a fresh populace.
It comes as no surprise that four of the top 10 fastest growing cities according to U.S. Census data maintain a California address: Elk Grove, Moreno Valley, Rancho Cucamonga, and Irvine leading the Golden State’s population surge. Florida boasts three emerging cities in Port St. Lucie, Cape Coral, and Miramar while Arizona, with Gilbert and Chandler, has also inherited thousands of new residents. North Las Vegas, adjacent to Sin City, has proven that real estate can rival blackjack as the biggest game in town.
Pizza-Starved States
Ever wonder about the most underserved pizza communities? New Jersey-based investment management firm W.R. Huff did and proceeded to analyze all 50 states to discover the nation’s most pizza-starved constituency.
The states warmest on weather are some of the coldest on pizza. With Mississippi claiming but one pizzeria for every 8643 residents, the potential market share is immense for those who get the All-American food just right, guys like Jeff Good and Dan Blumenthal, owners of Sal and Mookie’s New York Pizza and Ice Cream Joint in Jackson.
“It’s fascinating that the metro Jackson area has few ‘home grown’ or upscale pizzerias,” says Good. “Certainly, [we] took that into account when we created [our] concept. In the first five months, the feedback and rabid repeat customer business…has positioned Sal & Mookie’s as the place to get pizza in Jackson.”
Other pizza-starved states include Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Hawaii, Georgia, Tennessee, and California.
The Government: Your Small Business Friend
Taxes. Rarely a word that sparks any positive reaction from an American small business owner. While some states are heavy on taxation—New Jersey, California, Rhode Island, Maine, and Minnesota among the chief culprits—others do a noble job avoiding the business owners’ pockets.
The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, a Washington D.C.-based small business advocate, reports that South Dakota, Nevada, and Wyoming all avoid personal income tax, capital gains, and corporate income tax. Other states, meanwhile, such as Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Washington, and Colorado keep taxation to a minimum, offering an undeniable boost to the pizzeria’s bottom line.
Some Competition and the Golden Rule
Though the northeast remains the most pizza-filled region of the country, an immortal industry truth emerges: product remains king.
Despite boasting a pizzeria for every 2300 residents, the nation’s most competitive marketplace as sheer numbers go, Maine hosts several operations that merge a track record with a unique experience. Portland Pie, for instance, applied the micro-brew concept to pizza dough and claims not only a plethora of flavored pizza crusts—basil, garlic, and beer among them—but also a loyal customer base.
“We came out of the gates [in 1997] with a different concept…and there’s no question we’ve grown over the last ten years because we’ve differentiated ourselves from the competition, created our niche, and established a name for ourselves,” says Steve Freese, co-owner of the three Portland Pie locations.
Barnett says a competitive environment can often be a plus given the herd mentality of American society, a fact evident in cities across the country where rivals share street corners.
“People tend to congregate in the same place,” Barnett says, “and if one place is full, they’ll often move on to the next.”
Freese reminds that he and partner Nat Getchell opened their first shop next to an established local chain.
“People thought we were crazy,” he says, “but we believed in our concept and our product.”
(Sidebar)
Hungry for Pizza: Some of the Nation’s Top Spots for a Pizzeria
These American cities possess some of the key ingredients to hosting a successful pizzeria:
North Las Vegas, Nevada
Population: 198,000
Pizzeria to Resident Ratio: 1:4923 (Nevada)
Why North Las Vegas?: One of the nation’s fastest-growing cities, North Las Vegas claims a friendly small business climate with low taxes, high disposable income, and, more applicable to the pizzeria operator, the nation’s top projected restaurant sales growth according to the National Restaurant Association.
Gilbert, Arizona
Population: 192,000
Pizzeria to Resident Ratio: 1:5296 (Arizona)
Why Gilbert?: Despite a surging population, Arizona claims less than 1,000 pizzerias and resides among the nation’s most pizza-starved states. Gilbert, meanwhile, stands atop the state’s population push while offering a family-centered demographic with disposable income and favorable taxation policy.
Port St. Lucie, Florida
Population: 145,000
Pizzeria to Resident Ratio: 1:5066 (Florida)
Why Port St. Lucie?: Tabbed “A City for All Ages,” Port St. Lucie, which has seen its population triple in the last 15 years, promises extensive growth opportunities, residents with disposable income, and low taxes. Each year, meanwhile, the town entertains the New York Mets and their fan base, many of them pizza-eating Yankees, for spring training.
Denton, Texas
Population: 110,000
Pizzeria to Resident Ratio: 1:7727 (Texas)
Why Denton?: A music and art hotbed north of Dallas, Denton boasts an intellectual flair and two state universities with a combined enrollment of 45,000. Despite high property taxes and a corporate income tax, Denton avoids personal income, capital gains, and estate taxes as well as a saturated pizzeria market.
Raleigh, North Carolina
Population: 367,000
Pizzeria to Resident Ratio: 1:5218 (North Carolina)
Why Raleigh?: With steady population growth in recent years, an abundance of industry and commerce, and the presence of North Carolina State University, the state’s capital city boasts some key indicators for success. One negative: tax rates are among the nation’s highest.
“It’s important for a pizzeria to identify its key demographics and then strategically position itself to capitalize on that location,” says Russell Barnett, head of the restaurant specialty group for CB Richard Ellis, one of the nation’s leading real estate services firms.
While perhaps easier to execute in theory than reality, an operator’s research skills must take flight if the right location is to be found. From population growth to underserved communities and from tax legislation to competitive environments, the finished product provides success, but a well-scouted location surely doesn’t hurt.
Emerging Communities
On May 15, Steve Cornelius opened his Nick-N-Willy’s Pizza outpost in Elk Grove, California, a booming community near Sacramento. An Elk Grove resident, Cornelius said he was motivated by the sprouting population—Elk Grove had doubled in size since 2000—and presence of few established pizzerias.
“It was a growing area, so we knew that we could grow right alongside it,” Cornelius says, noting the advantage of opening in a spot where loyalties are scarce given such a fresh populace.
It comes as no surprise that four of the top 10 fastest growing cities according to U.S. Census data maintain a California address: Elk Grove, Moreno Valley, Rancho Cucamonga, and Irvine leading the Golden State’s population surge. Florida boasts three emerging cities in Port St. Lucie, Cape Coral, and Miramar while Arizona, with Gilbert and Chandler, has also inherited thousands of new residents. North Las Vegas, adjacent to Sin City, has proven that real estate can rival blackjack as the biggest game in town.
Pizza-Starved States
Ever wonder about the most underserved pizza communities? New Jersey-based investment management firm W.R. Huff did and proceeded to analyze all 50 states to discover the nation’s most pizza-starved constituency.
The states warmest on weather are some of the coldest on pizza. With Mississippi claiming but one pizzeria for every 8643 residents, the potential market share is immense for those who get the All-American food just right, guys like Jeff Good and Dan Blumenthal, owners of Sal and Mookie’s New York Pizza and Ice Cream Joint in Jackson.
“It’s fascinating that the metro Jackson area has few ‘home grown’ or upscale pizzerias,” says Good. “Certainly, [we] took that into account when we created [our] concept. In the first five months, the feedback and rabid repeat customer business…has positioned Sal & Mookie’s as the place to get pizza in Jackson.”
Other pizza-starved states include Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Hawaii, Georgia, Tennessee, and California.
The Government: Your Small Business Friend
Taxes. Rarely a word that sparks any positive reaction from an American small business owner. While some states are heavy on taxation—New Jersey, California, Rhode Island, Maine, and Minnesota among the chief culprits—others do a noble job avoiding the business owners’ pockets.
The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, a Washington D.C.-based small business advocate, reports that South Dakota, Nevada, and Wyoming all avoid personal income tax, capital gains, and corporate income tax. Other states, meanwhile, such as Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Washington, and Colorado keep taxation to a minimum, offering an undeniable boost to the pizzeria’s bottom line.
Some Competition and the Golden Rule
Though the northeast remains the most pizza-filled region of the country, an immortal industry truth emerges: product remains king.
Despite boasting a pizzeria for every 2300 residents, the nation’s most competitive marketplace as sheer numbers go, Maine hosts several operations that merge a track record with a unique experience. Portland Pie, for instance, applied the micro-brew concept to pizza dough and claims not only a plethora of flavored pizza crusts—basil, garlic, and beer among them—but also a loyal customer base.
“We came out of the gates [in 1997] with a different concept…and there’s no question we’ve grown over the last ten years because we’ve differentiated ourselves from the competition, created our niche, and established a name for ourselves,” says Steve Freese, co-owner of the three Portland Pie locations.
Barnett says a competitive environment can often be a plus given the herd mentality of American society, a fact evident in cities across the country where rivals share street corners.
“People tend to congregate in the same place,” Barnett says, “and if one place is full, they’ll often move on to the next.”
Freese reminds that he and partner Nat Getchell opened their first shop next to an established local chain.
“People thought we were crazy,” he says, “but we believed in our concept and our product.”
(Sidebar)
Hungry for Pizza: Some of the Nation’s Top Spots for a Pizzeria
These American cities possess some of the key ingredients to hosting a successful pizzeria:
North Las Vegas, Nevada
Population: 198,000
Pizzeria to Resident Ratio: 1:4923 (Nevada)
Why North Las Vegas?: One of the nation’s fastest-growing cities, North Las Vegas claims a friendly small business climate with low taxes, high disposable income, and, more applicable to the pizzeria operator, the nation’s top projected restaurant sales growth according to the National Restaurant Association.
Gilbert, Arizona
Population: 192,000
Pizzeria to Resident Ratio: 1:5296 (Arizona)
Why Gilbert?: Despite a surging population, Arizona claims less than 1,000 pizzerias and resides among the nation’s most pizza-starved states. Gilbert, meanwhile, stands atop the state’s population push while offering a family-centered demographic with disposable income and favorable taxation policy.
Port St. Lucie, Florida
Population: 145,000
Pizzeria to Resident Ratio: 1:5066 (Florida)
Why Port St. Lucie?: Tabbed “A City for All Ages,” Port St. Lucie, which has seen its population triple in the last 15 years, promises extensive growth opportunities, residents with disposable income, and low taxes. Each year, meanwhile, the town entertains the New York Mets and their fan base, many of them pizza-eating Yankees, for spring training.
Denton, Texas
Population: 110,000
Pizzeria to Resident Ratio: 1:7727 (Texas)
Why Denton?: A music and art hotbed north of Dallas, Denton boasts an intellectual flair and two state universities with a combined enrollment of 45,000. Despite high property taxes and a corporate income tax, Denton avoids personal income, capital gains, and estate taxes as well as a saturated pizzeria market.
Raleigh, North Carolina
Population: 367,000
Pizzeria to Resident Ratio: 1:5218 (North Carolina)
Why Raleigh?: With steady population growth in recent years, an abundance of industry and commerce, and the presence of North Carolina State University, the state’s capital city boasts some key indicators for success. One negative: tax rates are among the nation’s highest.
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