Business in Gladstone Park
NOTE: The section is a general survey about the types of businesses in Gladstone Park. The photographs are meant to be representative of what exists in the neighborhood and does not pretend to be a comprehensive collection. For specific shops and eateries in Gladstone Park, see highlights and photos of them in Stores & Restaurants.
N. MILWAUKEE AVENUE BUSINESS CORRIDOR
Any Gladstonian wishing to conduct virtually all his or her business needs from cradle to grave can do so in the local community. There are professional offices for lawyers, dentists and orthodontists, psychologists, and doctors of various specialties. Financial services are available at a number of banks and offices headed by tax preparers, accountants, and insurance brokers. Independent local plumbers, electricians, roofers, and other contractors have offices in the neighborhood if they don’t operate out of their homes. There are also numerous choices when it comes to automotive service centers, real estate and travel agents, beauty parlors (hair, nail, and spa), sports and fitness centers (including a bowling alley) and computer repair. Two large funeral homes top off the list.
That description might make it seem as if Gladstone Park is your ordinary small town community…residential areas surrounding a “main” street of businesses with an industrial zone on the west. Because its quirks present more like a suburban landscape, the enclave’s commercial corridor looks nothing like – and functions completely differently from – those found elsewhere in the City of Chicago.
But as odd as Gladstone Park’s business corridor might seem to those living in more densely-built parts of the city, the result is completely and expressly livable. In fact, its small town atmosphere is one of the main attractions that draws residents to the community. Amplified by plenty of room for parking, there is an ease with which Gladstone Park residents can conduct their business (and indulge in pleasure) that is not found elsewhere in Chicago. The fact that official crime statistics over decades have positioned the community as one of the four safest neighborhoods in the city doesn’t hurt. There just aren’t the same worries. So while there is litter (who can help that in a windy city?), it is unusual, for example, to even see graffiti here.
Although there are pockets of business and professional offices on N. Elston, N. Central, and N. Northwest Highway, the majority of them can be found on the N. Milwaukee Avenue commercial corridor that beelines through the center of Gladstone Park.
BANKS
If bank buildings are the jewel boxes of any neighborhood, then Gladstone Park is indeed rich in stability and power. The community’s five bank buildings with their diverse architectural styles have been singled out by no less than The City of Chicago’s Gladstone Park Corridor Study Milwaukee Avenue from the Kennedy Expressway to the City Limits January 28, 2017 as some of the most significant in the community for their size and provisions for parking. These include:
Wintrust Bank (Gladstone Park Branch), 6336 N. Milwaukee, the second largest banking company in Chicago. Community-focused, it operates a system of 15 chartered banks in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. But it is locally known primarily as the official banking partner of the Chicago Cubs with credit cards pledging their alliance. Every time the Cubs win at Wrigley Field, the “W” in the “Wintrust” on the left-field Daktronics ProStar video board at the ballpark lights up.
Fifth Third Bank (Gladstone), 5670 N. Milwaukee, services businesses and communities through 12 states with 1,087 full service locations and 2,400 ATMs. Established in Cincinnati in 1858 and still headquartered there, its oddball “Fifth Third” name was derived from the 1908 merger of the bank’s two predecessor companies, Fifth National Bank and Third National Bank.
Associated Bank, 5200 N. Central, at the southern end of the Gladstone Park business community at the confluence of W. Foster and N. Milwaukee, is the largest Wisconsin-based bank. Headquartered in Green Bay, it grew from a small set of northeast Wisconsin financial institutions in 1861 into a leading Midwest bank with more than 220 branch locations throughout Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota.
(JPMorgan) Chase Bank, 5831 N. Milwaukee, represents the largest bank in the US and the only one with a presence in all 48 contiguous states. Founded in 1799 by Aaron Burr to counter the monopoly Alexander Hamilton had on the bank industry in New York City, it now offers more than 5000 branches and 15000 ATMs.
Liberty Bank for Savings (Norwood Park Branch), 6210 N Milwaukee, formed in 1898 when members of a neighborhood church on Chicago’s North Side came together to create a mutual savings institution beholden to the people, not stockholders. Known for the motto “neighbors helping neighbors,” it returns profits to its members from its 5 locations.
THE MORTUARY INDUSTRY
The City of Chicago’s Gladstone Park Corridor Study also highlighted the community’s two large funeral homes as pillars of the community, their large buildings, parking lots, and influence making an outsized impact.
Malec & Sons, 6000 N. Milwaukee, is a member of the Dignity Memorial network. Having provided funeral and cremation services to Chicago families since 1935, it moved to Gladstone Park in 1969. Malec is known for sponsoring an annual Cookout for First Responders–fire, police, and EMTs–at its N. Milwaukee location in recognition of their contributions in keeping members of the community safe and healthy.
Colonial-Wojciechowski Funeral Homes, 6250 N. Milwaukee, was established a century ago in the Polish Bucktown neighborhood. Family owned and operated to the present day, it moved to Gladstone Park in 1996 with a second location in Niles.
THE BANQUET INDUSTRY
It would be remiss not to point out how the banquet industry has flourished in Gladstone Park due to the abundance of inexpensive land for their larger buildings and parking facilities. There are three full service banquet halls within a half mile of each other on N. Milwaukee. They can make for memorable birthdays and weddings, First Communion or Confirmation celebrations, or Sweet Sixteen and Baby Shower Parties. Nearby is a new concept party rental space that works on a Do-It-Yourself basis for smaller events.
Gala Banquet Hall, 5639 N Milwaukee, can mount celebrations for 40-150 people, furnishing catering and open bars, DJs and music, and photographers with many packages to choose from. They work in tandem with Stardust Banquet, just up the street at 5688 N Milwaukee Ave, and the Jolly Inn Restaurant & Banquet Hall, 6501 W. Irving Park Rd, south of Gladstone Park in the Dunning neighborhood. Jolly Inn is known for serving authentic Polish cuisine in its four different room serving from 50 to 300 people each.
The independent Lido Banquets, 5504 N Milwaukee Ave, serves 75-250 people for a similar wide variety of celebrations, emphasizing personal attention, modern elegance and impeccable service.
The Gala and Lido made Yelp’s 2022 list for the top ten most affordable banquet halls in Chicago, and are thus the scenes of many wedding receptions and other large celebrations frequented by Chicagoans from all over the city.
The new entry in the game, The Studio at D&B, is at 6069 N. Milwaukee. A DIY event space & party rental company for 20-50 people, it supplies one large room with different table and chair setups, a music system and kitchenette. Clients decorate and bring their own food and DJs. It is highly rated as a good value for those willing to do their own work.
OTHER UNUSUAL BUSINESSES
One of the community’s more unexpected businesses is the broadcast station and daytime transmitter for WCPT 820 AM, Chicago’s Progressive Radio Station at 5475 N. Milwaukee. Moving into a midcentury building in the Gladstone Park neighborhood in 2016, the station broadcasts to the entire Chicago Metropolitan area during the day at 5,800 watts. It is a point of pride because, after all, what one-square-mile neighborhood has its own radio station?
Another distinct building is the two-story midcentury Esquire Motel, 6145 N. Elston overlooking its merger with N. Milwaukee. It is most notable because of its characteristic 1950s geometrically-shaped architecture in addition to its unique color-changing signage out front.
N. NORTHWEST HIGHWAY BUSINESSES OF NOTE
Although most Gladstone Park businesses are on N. Milwaukee, some businesses that were destinations by themselves chose to locate on the more out-of-the-way N. Northwest Highway.
Chicago Sweet Connection Bakery, 5569 N. Northwest Highway, which bills itself as “Chicagoland’s Premier Wholesale Bakery,” makes daily deliveries of cakes, cookies, pies, donuts, and breads to restaurants, hotels, and grocers throughout Illinois and four surrounding states. Despite functioning primarily as a wholesale operation, it invites locals into its storefront retail shop to savor its broad assortment of cakes, pies, breads and assorted goodies. It also takes custom orders for products such as wedding cakes.
Two one-of-a kind suppliers of goods are Chicago Firewood, 5600 N. Northwest Highway, and Knight’s Edge, 5696 N. Northwest Highway. The large warehouse operation of Chicago Firewood attracts people from all over the city who want to buy special woods (oak, apple, cherry, etc.) for their fireplaces and pizza ovens. Knight’s Edge, a designer and exclusive importer of medieval-era products such as suits of armor, weaponry, home decor, jewelry and books, also has a retail shop at its local headquarters.
Habetler Bowl, 5250 N. Northwest Highway, is another Gladstone Park business of note. It has long been considered one of the most atmospheric (and best) bowling alleys in the city. Another example of midcentury architecture, the building exterior still flaunts the kinds of bright colors (turquoise and fuchsia) and geometrical signage typical of the era. Owned by one family for over 50 years, Habetler’s interior has recently been updated with 32 state-of-the-art lanes that host leagues of bowlers from all over Chicago.
BUSINESS INFLUENCE OF THE POLISH COMMUNITY
The large population of Polish immigrants in the neighborhood is made to feel particularly welcome in Gladstone Park’s business district with a number of professional offices and services centers identified by both their English and Polish names. Many also have Polish speakers inside.
Which is why we must mention that just a mile from Gladstone Park’s southern border (one block east of N Milwaukee at 5216 W. Lawrence) is the (Nicolaus) Copernicus Center. Named after one of the country’s greatest sons, its palatial 1,890-seat concert hall was rehabbed in 1981 out of Jefferson Park’s grand 19th Century movie house, the Gateway, specifically for the Polish population. The facility hosts many events dear to the hearts of the Polish community, including the annual Taste of Polonia festival. Among performances are those of the (Ignacy Jan) Paderewski Orchestra. Named after one of Poland’s greatest pianists and composers, PaSo debuted as small chamber ensemble in 1996 before growing into a full orchestra that now performs with its own choir and runs an Academy of Music for young musicians. Specializing in early to contemporary Polish pieces, the orchestra has also played world music in many of Chicago’s great concert halls.
For a more complete listing of businesses in the community, see Gladstone Park Chamber of Commerce, whose business it is to support and promote local its commercial enterprises.
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