Milwaukee Ave. businesses weather storm, look to uncertain future

In a typical year, Amici Ristorante in Niles would host at least 50 parties during the holiday season.

The family-run Italian restaurant at 7620 N. Milwaukee Ave. had gained a reputation over 22 years as a top holiday party spot for many of the village’s larger businesses and organizations.

“Throughout the month of December, I would have been fully booked with parties,” said Amici owner Mike Zimmerman.

Last year, however, was anything but typical.

“We did maybe 10 [holiday parties],” Zimmerman said. “That [customer] segment is just gone.”

For Zimmerman and other small businesses owners on Milwaukee Avenue, the economic future of the village’s main artery is as murky as ever. While many survived a rough 2009, others, such as the 20-year-old Rossini’s restaurant at Milwaukee and Dempster St., have been forced to close.

“Business right now—it stinks,” said Zimmerman, who has been in the restaurant business on Milwaukee Avenue for more than three decades. “I’ve never seen it like this.”

Katie Schneider, executive director of the Niles Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said many small businesses “have certainly had to tighten their belts for this year, and will have to for probably a couple of years.”

“Almost every small business is in the same boat,” Schneider said. “We all need to weather the storm.”

Schneider said the chamber has “revved up” a lot of its programs to help draw customers to local businesses, including offering discounts to restaurants and hosting more events designed to assist small business owners.

The chamber also has been involved in the planning of the village’s ongoing beautification of Milwaukee Avenue, a project designed to help improve safety for pedestrians along the route while adding decorative touches at intersections, such as new street lights, benches and fresh greenery.

With state records showing that more than 45,000 vehicles travel daily on Milwaukee Avenue in Niles, improving traffic flow for both cars and pedestrians is essential, Schneider said.

“These businesses desperately need ease of traffic,” she said.

The chamber also plans to launch a banner campaign along Milwaukee that Schneider hopes will distinguish the village’s main business hub as a shopping and dining destination.

“Milwaukee Avenue is very unique, as it has a lot of businesses that have been family owned for 40 to 50 years,” she said. “We need to take advantage of that by branding Milwaukee Avenue as a shopping district and giving it a stronger identity in Niles.”

Longtime business owners say continuing to distinguish themselves by offering top-notch customer service and quality products has, and always will be, the key to survival in both good times and bad.

Kurt Schmeisser, whose grandfather opened Schmeisser’s Home Made Sausage in 1951 at 7649 N. Milwaukee Ave., said the store has always strove to offer unique products not found at chain grocery stores.

“We’ve always dealt with high quality,” said Schmeisser, who took over the store’s ownership in 1994. “We make all our own items, including 70 different types of sausage.”

Schmeisser said, fortunately, his business doesn’t carry a lot of debt on its books—a situation that has hurt many small businesses during the economic downturn.

“We’re lucky, because everybody’s having trouble,” he said. “That’s no secret to anybody around here.”

Zimmerman said the village’s camaraderie and diversity have flourished through its many family-owned businesses. When locals come to his restaurant, he makes sure to remember their names and tidbits about their lives from previous conversations—a small touch that he said keeps customers coming back.

“Every time you walk in, I want you to remember you were here,” he said. “If you go to some chain joint, they’re not going to remember who you are. They aren’t going to remember your name, or your kids’ names.”

Zimmerman said small business owners “make a lot of sacrifices” to remain successful regardless of the economy, adding that he hasn’t taken a vacation in 18 years.

“It’s always been a joy for me,” he said.

As experienced business owners on Milwaukee Avenue strive to maintain their established customer bases, others new to owning a business work hard to build and sustain theirs, such as Tim Telow, who took ownership in 2008 of Frank’s Lawnmower Sales and Services at 8113 N. Milwaukee Ave.

On Feb. 26, a steady stream of customers flowed in and out of the small store that sells and repairs lawnmowers, snow blowers and other equipment. While heavy snowfalls have helped the business sell snow blowers over the last two winters, it’s the repair business that has boomed in tough times, Telow said.

“A lot of people have cut back by fixing equipment instead of buying new, and that’s kept things busy,” he said.

Telow, who grew up on Milwaukee Avenue, previously worked the second shift as a mechanic for a large-scale bakery before taking on his first business. He said he jumped at the chance to take ownership of Frank’s, which has been on Milwaukee since the early 1970s.

“I used to pass by Frank’s and say, ‘One day I’m going to own a place like that,’” Telow said.

While some would hesitate to take on a new business in a rough economy, Telow said the challenge “has been a lot of fun.”

“Working long hours doesn’t bother me, because now I enjoy coming to work,” he said. “I just want to keep the ‘rep’ as high as possible.”

So far, feedback from locals has been positive, he said.

“I’ve enjoyed getting to know a lot of the customers, meeting people face to face,” he said.

He said managing a business takes time and patience—like nurturing a baby.

“You gotta watch it,” he said.