July 31--What does it mean that, by next summer, residents of a troubled Chicago neighborhood will be able to order a shot of wheat grass, then head next door for a grande quad nonfat one-pump no-whip mocha?
You guessed it: another side-by-side Whole Foods and Starbucks. Except this time the pairing of the two high-end consumer brands is viewed by some as a social experiment.
The stores will open in Englewood, one of the city's most high-crime and jobs-starved neighborhoods.
It was news that no one was shot in Englewood over the Fourth of July weekend -- a sorry but genuine mark of improvement. Residents there got organized and took shifts walking the streets to prevent violence. The police stepped up their enforcement.
Next year, Englewood's residents should be able to walk the streets carrying a venti iced skinny hazelnut macchiato with sugar-free syrup, extra shot, light ice, no whip. Yes, that's an actual Starbucks beverage. (We found it under "obnoxious Starbucks orders.")
We know, there's a risk that this whole thing sounds obnoxious. Each of Chicago's most depressed neighborhoods has to establish a basic economy: shops that sell the basics and offer jobs that develop skills and pay well.
But we'd venture that this is more than a feel-good strategy for two well-known businesses.
Whole Foods got the ball rolling by announcing in September 2013 it would build one of its grocery stores at 63rd and Halsted streets. Public transportation is nearby, and the area gets decent foot traffic from students and staff at Kennedy-King College. The college specializes in hospitality and culinary programs.
Starbucks followed up with plans to open next door. The fancy coffee chain said Englewood is one of 15 neighborhoods nationwide where it will open in lower-income areas. The company will reserve space in or near the Englewood store for younger workers to receive across-the-board customer service training.
It's part of the company's efforts to address high unemployment among the nation's youth, particularly in urban areas.
"As we think about the trajectory of these young people, we have to think about the future they might have in this economy. It is in our best interest to invest in them at this stage in their development," a Starbucks spokesman told the Tribune's Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz.
The aldermen in Chicago's poorest neighborhoods often speak to the difficulties they face in attracting major retailers. Discount chains and dollar stores and nail salons, they can draw. But the manufacturer, the upscale grocer, the high-end restaurant, those seem next to impossible.
There have been breakthroughs. Method opened a soap factory in jobs-starved Pullman earlier this year. Remember all the fuss about Wal-Mart building stores in Chicago? We didn't think so. Wal-Mart has opened 11 stores and neighborhood markets throughout the city, including several in South Side neighborhoods.
The Whole Foods and Starbucks development in Englewood will receive about $10 million in tax increment financing money from the city.
Raise your triple venti, half-sweet, nonfat caramel macchiato. Cheers to a business decision that's good for the company and good for the community.
