In early September 2024, the city hosted an event honoring 39 legacy businesses across Evanston. Each received a certificate acknowledging their work and a legacy business seal window sticker to inform patrons of the business’ status.
These businesses each have been in Evanston for 20 years or longer, with some clocking in over 100 years in operation.
The first cohort of businesses celebrated last fall will not be the last, though, said Councilmember Clare Kelly (1st) and Carl Klein, chair of Evanston’s Preservation Commission.
“Nominations are on a rolling basis. Anyone can nominate a business,” Klein told the RoundTable. “But I think the idea is that, like, we’re going to try to make this an annual tradition every year to have a new class or a new group of legacy businesses.”
From idea to business alliance
When Kelly first took office as councilmember for the first ward, she quickly became aware of the struggles small businesses in her ward faced. The pandemic, rising rent costs and even being priced out of their storefronts altogether made running their businesses challenging.
“The work they put in is just mind blowing,” Kelly said.
She and Klein started brainstorming on how they could help these struggling businesses.
The pair thought that “maybe we should start a legacy business alliance, so that we can really draw attention and focus on these and show the community how valuable they are.”
They started with a pilot group of legacy businesses, the majority of which were 20 years or older. To make sure that businesses from all wards, backgrounds and walks of life were represented, though, a few businesses on the list had been around for less than 20 years.
Besides age, the only other requirement was that the establishment “has contributed in some way to the community, whether it’s culturally, economically, socially,” Kelly said.
This first batch of legacy businesses officially received honors at the first alliance reception, where they had the opportunity to speak about their experience and meet other business owners.
“We created the name Evanston Legacy Business Alliance because we wanted it to be an alliance, like everyone was in a group, a team together, so that you didn’t feel like you were alone,” Klein said.
Each business also received a window sticker to designate them visually as a legacy business.
Legacy business seal
To create the Evanston Legacy Business Alliance logo, Klein and Kelly worked with Glance, an Evanston based design firm.
They started with the window sticker, which is easier to make and works well for businesses that rent their location.
“We eventually want something more permanent, a tile or a plaque or something,” Klein said.
A number of establishments are displaying these optional seals in their windows, including Noyes Barber Shop, Dave’s Italian Kitchen and Belgian Chocolatier Piron.
Right now, there are over 150 businesses listed on the Legacy Business Alliance website that have received this designation. Because nominations are rolling, not all of these businesses might have their seal posted in the window — but they’ll have the opportunity to after the next legacy business event.
The organization will “recognize another batch in the fall,” Kelly said. “We’re in the process of getting those meetings set up.”
Evanston’s oldest establishments
Evanston’s oldest operating establishment actually isn’t exactly a business — the YMCA, a longtime community focused nonprofit organization, was founded in Evanston in 1885 with a goal to “promote mental, moral, physical and social welfare.”
The Women’s Club of Evanston came not too late after, also a nonprofit organization. In 1989, Evanston resident Elizabeth Boynton Harbert founded the organization out of her home at 1412 Judson Ave., a little over 10 years after moving there with her husband, Captain William S. Harbert.
The oldest actual business in Evanston Cahill Plumbing, a family owned plumbing, heating, air conditioning and bathroom remodeling company founded in 1889. John Cahill II and John Cahill III co-run the business together now.
Six years after Cahill’s founding, the Lemoi hardware store sprung up in 1895. The Lemoi Ace hardware is still operated by the Lemoi family, run by Ralph Lemoi-Dupuis.
The Legacy Business alliance list tells residents about these historic businesses, and many more, including the Minasian Rug Company, Evanston History Center, Good’s Fine Picture Framing/Masterpiece Framing & Imaging, Noyes Street Barber Shop, IRMCO Advanced, Metalforming Lubricant Technologies, Canal Shores, American Legion Post 42, Oscar Isberian Rugs, C.E. Niehoff & Co., Jay’s Barber Shop and Central Rug and Floors — all businesses one hundred years or older.
Expanding the alliance
The alliance may not end at just recognition, the original intent of legacy business designation.
“Out of this whole thing, some businesses have talked about potentially mentoring younger businesses to try to help them reach the legacy business mark,” Klein said.
Setting up this mentorship program hasn’t happened yet, but the idea is there.
“We still have work to do,” Kelly said. “It’s just bandwidth.”
The business alliance has also started incorporating Evanston’s business associations to join in the conversation. Klein said that at their last meeting for the alliance, they invited Downtown Evanston, Central Street and Main Dempster Mile associations to attend.
“We’re trying to work with all the business districts to get the word out that this is a free program,” Klein said. “You can nominate your business and become part of the legacy businesses, and we can start honoring those long-standing businesses.”
