Bergsteins deli should be in downtown homewood where laura's used to be. A play place for kids too like monkey business or gymboree.

It should be a successful one. One thing that breeds more businesses flocking to an area is seeing other new businesses thrive. No matter what the business the greatest benefit to the area would be if it long lasting and contributing. Nothing breeds hesitation in opening a new business in a given area like seeing others fail there.
Inspector Daggett

We have a lot of the things on that list already. There's a tanning salon on Dixie. There was a sandwich shop (Goodlife Cafe) that had jazz music night, but the community didn't support them and they closed. There is another thai place in Homewood and one in Flossmoor Commons. There's a boutique in downtown Homewood that sells unique clothing. There is open billiards for teens in the pool room at the Irwin Center. Malt shop - Mitchells.

Romano's Macaroni Grill or something similar

Fair enough, Blackhawks. I think the Thai requirement has another facet to it: delivery. In fact, is there any Asian food delivery in Homewood now?

I like the "An old fashioned malt shop/hamburger joint" idea. A great burger smothered with grilled onions and cheese, fries and a chocolate malt sounds like the ticket to me!!!

Trader Joes in Cherrycreek where the sara lee and little colony were!!!

We would like a Potbelly Sandwich Shop or a Jimmy John's at 183rd and Dixie. Lots of parking...

How about a DeMars restaurant, Blue Ribbon grocery store Schwinn bike shop and a Rickshaw chinese restaurant? Wait, Homewood DID have all these and they closed down because the town is a dump.

Oh Really, Sister Elenita? It's my dump and I LOVE it! Rude!

I say a Trader Joe's, a Potbelly, or another dinner option to choose from!

More places with delivery or something like grub hub that will deliver the take out food to you

Also an indoor kids play place. Maybe the park district could make one?

It seems to me, after reading some of these comments, that the residents of the village don't really know what they want Homewood to be. Sometimes it seems like people want Homewood to remain a sleepy, bedroom community. Sometimes it seems like people want Homewood to become a destination stop. Until this sort of schizophenia gets resolved, Homewood may remain sort of languishing in the middle of it all.

What does that mean? We want what other towns have.....What is with negative people?

steak house brazillian steak house, like the one on New Orleans downtown. I agree take your que from Oak Park, Illinois. great businessess, safe and people walk and sit around all year round outside.

Well, it's a quandary. I've lived in Homewood for 12 years now and here is my observation of the local business landscape. First of all, as in many communities, residents of Homewood, when asked, say, "We love our local businesses. They give the neighborhood character." But if you look at the shopping habits of those people, they do not, as a rule, patronize the local businesses they claim to love. Second, parking in downtown Homewood is problematic at best. Third, no major chain is going to go into downtown OR Cherry Creek, they require a high volume thoroughfare and population density, plus companies like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods have a very stringent household income demographic for their locations. Only Halsted fits the bill on traffic. Honestly, one of the best options to pursue would be to get an IKEA where they're thinking of putting the casino, although IKEA might feel this is too close to the Bolingbrook location. Unless the village has a long-term redevelopment plan, attracting smaller boutique chains to the area is going to be a challenge.

Good point Blue Moon. If Patch is asking for a "wish list", anything goes. But if people are seriously thinking about what businesses they would truly use and would truly thrive, mindsets have to change some. I love the suggestions people have for small, individual businesses appealing to children and teens like Record Swap, and the old Sputnik coffee house, etc. We also used to have several little breakfast / lunch places (remember Kev's Half Day cafe, Dave's Kitchen, Tom's, Three Bros). I love someone idea about having that again or a cute diner. That was downtown Homewood when I was growing up. Unfortunately rents are high, but Homewood local government seems open to helping people start these kind of businesses, so it's worth looking into for young entreprenuers.

1) Agreed with Blue Moon.

2) Homewood residents crave to have a community similar to Oak Park. Do we have that potential? Lets explore Oak Park's means of attracting (and keeping) businesses in their community. We could use them as our benchmark.

3) Do we really support local and boutique shops?

4) I'd like to see a Trader Joe's and a Barnes and Noble.

A spice shop would be fantastic. Bring us a Penzey's or a Savory Spice Shop or a Spice House! (Please?)

I'm not sure the majority of Homewood homeowners have the disposable income to properly support businesses whose size/selection/business model don't allow them to price competitively and keep a constant good selection of wares. Businesses need to be either need-based or be prepared to be competitive. Or they have to sell addictive substances (how else do three different Starbuckses survive in our town). Just because some business models fail and the owners decide to close up shop rather than try new ideas doesn't make Homewood a dump. I wonder if all the other Patches have these regular arguments between residents. Negative, positive, or in between, we're all on this website in the first place because we care about our town. We're all trying to figure out a solution, and offer up suggestions. We all WANT to be local and shop local and see our town thrive. Maybe it's not happening today or tomorrow, but this attitude is what will make Homewood continue to plug along, and as long as we keep contributing and brainstorming, and the town keeps trying to come up with new ideas and get the town going, we won't fail. Have faith, folks! Let's quit badgering each other, we all have one thing in common, and it's a pretty important thing.

I think the tax climate is a little problematic for the area. Maybe if Illinois increased taxes on business a few more times some of these ideas may actually come to fruition. Businesses like to invest in communities with high taxes so they can feel that they are helping those in the area they serve.

We have a lot of sandwich shops (Jimmy John's on Halsted, Subway, Panera Bread plus others) already, so I think Potbelly's is too similar. I liked the idea of a used bookstore. Or Trader Joe's. We need something that other local people would want to visit, not just another boutique. Another thing we don't have is many vegetarian-friendly places