Friday Roundup: Estate Ultra Bar & Wicker Park Athletic Club Opening; Real Naked Food & Rengade Handmade Closing

If there's one street that's always changing, with retailers, restaurants and bars coming and going, it's Division Street. Here are the latest openings and closings.

OPENINGS:

Wicker Park Athletic Club at 1635 W. Division St.: More details have emerged from Wicker Park Bucktown Insider's Guide about the new gym going in the old post office site. The gym, which will open in "late Spring" 2012, has 20,000 square feet full of free weights, cardio machines and three group exercise studios that will include group exercise like yoga, spinning and other fitness classes similar to the chain's other five locations throughout the Chicagland area. Full-service locker rooms will be offered for members.

Estate Ultra Bar at 1177 N. Elston Ave: This is a little outside our usual coverage zone, but worth mentioning nonetheless because of the novelty factor. Remember "Slow Down, Life's Too Short," that massive and very eclectic bar with a huge patio and quirky decor at Division and Elston? It closed in 2004, but the space will be reborn sometime soon as Estate Ultra Bar, which has been designed to look like a mansion of one of your old moneyed relatives. According to Eater:

"Once renovations are complete, the space will boast multiple different rooms including an atrium with fireplaces, a private trophy room and a living room with views of the river. There will be one large wraparound bar that will serve the space with 28 beers on tap. In the spring, Estate will open its outdoor spaces, a rooftop sky deck and sky lounge, gazebo, terrace and boat dock with additional bars added."

They've already opened for a preview event on New Year's Eve and from their Facebook page it seems as though their "playful American" menu is pretty close to being done, so we're thinking the opening will be in the very near future. Do you think destination bar hoppers will venture over to the run-down warehouse/river district for the newest "hip" spot, even though there's not much else nearby?

CLOSINGS:

Real Naked Foods at 1909 W. Division St: In what should come as a shock to absolutely no one, Real Naked Foods, the small-scale organic grocery store, closed its doors earlier this week after less than nine months in business. Readers reported that paper is up in the windows and all of the shelves were being moved out. The owner could not be reached for comment. Your thoughts? Readers have commented about unpredictable hours, aloof employees and scant merchandise. Does this neighborhood not have a market for a smaller grocery store or could you see one succeeding here in the future?

Renegade Handmade's Retail Shop at 1924 W. Division St: AV Club reported that Renegade Handmade's brick and mortar store will soon close. When reached by phone, a staffer told us that the handmade craft shop will close their doors at the end of January. The date for the fall Chicago festival -- which will still be held on Division Street -- will be announced in late January or early February. The group decided to focus exclusively on its nationwide craft festivals and street fairs. While we're sad to see another retail shop bite the dust, at least Division Street will be home to the late summer and holiday festivals.

Editors' Note: Things are always changing on Division Street -- especially around this time of year -- and we can't keep up with it all without our neighbors' eyes and ears on the street. Thanks sending your tips to divisionliving@gmail.com.

Joe's Wine Cellar Opening in late March or Early April at 2108 W. Division St.

Joe's Wine Cellar will open at 2108 W. Division St. (the former Division Street Cleaners space) in late March or early April 2012. The owner of the building, Joe Dalton, retired earlier this year and will live out his dream of owning a neighborhood wine shop. He plans to sell value-driven boutique wines (a portion of which are organic and biodynamically grown), craft beers and unique spirits like Prairie Organic Vodka.

He says it won't be a sit-down type of place, but more driven toward retail sales, individual tastings and occasional educational/group tasting events. There will be a handful of food items like French bread and local cheeses to compliment pours. Like the Lincoln Park Whole Foods, there will also be four tasting station machines with 1.5 oz,- half- and full-glass pours. Patrons can add value to a card, and then use it toward pours from the machine.

The interior is currently under construction and will undergo quite the face lift since it was Division Street Cleaners, which closed last summer. Dalton says they're using high-end finishes, wine bottle chandeliers, sustainable mahogany and new floor-to-ceiling windows that will open completely onto the Division Street sidewalk in the summertime, giving it a French market feel. The original brick walls and 1920s wood flooring will remain in tact.

As Division Street residents may know, it's incredibly difficult to get any kind of liquor license in this area with so many bars and restaurants selling booze already on the street. In order for the shop to receive a "tavern with package liquor" license, the Chicago Municipal Code must be changed. This hasn't happened yet, but Dalton says he has spoken with Alderman Waguespack and the appropriate community groups, and has their support... along with the extensive background checks, credit checks and other due diligence he had to undergo. The code change is currently in progress, and Dalton has no reason to believe it won't be approved.

We're still hoping or the best with Dee's Place, but in case it doesn't reopen at least the stretch of Division Street will still have some action.

First Crust is Closing, Now Dee's Place? Soul Food BYO Spot Is Evicted

It looks as if Division Street's go-to soul food spot, Dee's Place, is closing. This morning one of our readers was walking past the space while the landlord was taping this "No Trespassing" eviction notice to the door at 2114 W. Division St.

"There are still balloons filled with helium floating on the ceiling," said the reader, and other eyewitnesses can confirm the spot was operating as recently as New Year's Eve. Wishful thinking: maybe they can work things out with the landlord? But on the other hand, there are many steps that must be taken as a landlord in order to evict a tenant, so this isn't looking promising.

Dee's Place was one of those hole-in-the-wall neighborhood spots that gave Division Street its unique diversity -- best known for its live jazz music, fried chicken, smothered catfish and friendly (albeit leisurely) service. During the summertime, the patio would be jammed with diners taking in the lively blues and jazz tunes, which often carried down the block if the wind was blowing just right. The live music experience was unique, but many thought the food was often hit or miss.

We have been unable to reach the owner but hope to hear something definitive soon, at which time we'll update this post. In the meantime, your thoughts on what may be the second closing of 2012?

Addendum: That reminds us, another distressed storefront seems to be Real Naked Food at 1909 W. Division St. It seems as though every time we pass by, the store is closed (even during business hours) and the shelves are half empty. Anyone have any intel on this?

Crust Organic Pizzeria Closes on New Year's Eve

Eater broke the news last night that Crust, the organic-style casual pizzeria at Division Street and Hoyne, served its last meal on New Year's Eve. The spot had been in business for four and a half years and had a big patio presence on Division Street and in its back beer garden. Citing extremely high rent, the overall financial climate and its location on what he called "a difficult stretch of Division Street," owner Todd Feinberg said the neighborhood could not support Crust in the long term.

The restaurant's Facebook page said, "It's been a good run. We will miss everyone. Thank you for all the love!" Feinberg will focus his efforts on his French restaurant in Lincoln Square, Bistro Campagne.

We have to wonder if Armand's, which recently opened across the street, had anything to do with cannibalizing the pizza market on Division Street. Although Crust was a casual style restaurant, it had many so organic ingredients on the menu that it was pricier than most. Were diners in this neighborhood just looking for a less expensive pizza options?

And another question to ponder is what will fill the empty space? Crust's owner cited extremely high rent, so one has to ask who can afford that location. Your thoughts?

Friday Roundup: The Anthem opens, Zaraz is closing

The Anthem, a 70s-themed sports bar, opened Wednesday in the old Makisu space. Once you've had the chance to visit, let us know what you think!

Photo courtesy of The Anthem's Facebook page

According to Wicker Park Bucktown Insider's Guide, the old post office space at 1443 W. Division will become a gym. No further details or an opening date are known at this time.

Zaraz Collection, the accessories boutique, will close at the end of the month.

Merchandise is currently priced at 20-30% off, with deeper discounts coming toward the end of the month.

Another Sports Bar Coming to Division Street in Old Makisu Space

Chicago Magazine reported today that the new concept coming from the Bangers & Lace owners will be a retro-themed sports bar named The Anthem. The former Makisu (and before that, Fuel) space at 1725 W. Division St.

"will sport a retro look with nostalgic seventies-era décor, including school lockers and paneling that evokes the old woodie station wagons. The grub will include homemade comfort food served like a TV dinner, cheese doodles made of pork rinds and Cheddar dust, and a Minnesotan staple called the Juicy Lucy, a hamburger with cheese inside the patty. The menu also covers fondue, crudité, and salads with “some of the brighter-colored dressings,” says Matt Eisler, one of the owners. Six draft beers and microbrews in cans and bottles will dominate the beverage program. And, of course, the TVs—two huge projection TVs and four 50-inch screens behind the bar will show the games but not overbear the atmosphere."

Between Fat Pour, which is supposedly opening in March in the former Adobo Grill space, and Paradise Cantina, which opened last April, it seems sports bars are cropping up left and right on Division Street as of late. Do you think The Anthem will fill a niche like Bangers & Lace or will the neighborhood get a case of sports bar fatigue? As always, we'd love to hear your thoughts.

What is the Black-and-White Mural at 2001 W. Division St.?

Neighbors have been abuzz about the black-and-white mural that recently appeared at 2001 W. Division St., on the southeast corner of Damen and Division.

 

 

The mural is not to announce a new restaurant or ultra-exclusive speakeasy, but instead is a work of public art on the facade of a highly visible building in the neighborhood. Commissioned by the Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce, the mural was completed by Bernard Williams, a local Chicago artist. We asked him to tell us more about it:

 

"This mural is titled "Birds and Flowers." Many graphic symbols of birds and flowers are delivered from multiple points of view, culturally. Several bird and flower symbols come from Native American sources, others from folk quilt patterns, ancient Mexico, Europe, Asia, and Africa. 

 

The repeated and varying motifs suggest a human connectedness within the difference, which attempts to reference Wicker Park Bucktown as a hub of cultural diversity in Chicago and in the nation.

 

My mural design follows a program of composition which I have practiced within my studio activities for over ten years. I have collected a group of signs and symbols which speak about the complexities of American history and culture. The strategy of arrangement is inspired by ancient picture-writing seen in multiple cultures, notably, Egyptian hieroglyphs, ancient Mexican glyphs, Chinese and Japanese Kanji or pictographs."

 

 

You can find out more about Bernard Williams' work at www.bernardwilliamsart.com.