Several new businesses change face of Green Street

Chipotle Mexican Grill and Noodles & Company, two new restaurants moving into this store on Green Street, are scheduled to be completed by the end of August. Vadim Olen

In the past few years Campustown has changed dramatically. Long standing businesses have closed and given way to a whole new crop of storefronts. In the past year the increase of new businesses has grown even more.

During the past year, Potbelly Sandwich Works, Insomnia Cookies, Starbucks and Antonio's Pizza have all opened doors in Campustown. Most of the new businesses coming to town are restaurants.

"Campustown has always been big on food," Champaign City Planner T.J. Blakeman said. "There seems to be more new restaurants than ever."

While the food industry is flourishing in Campustown, the retail industry is failing. Stores like Marrakech and Record Service - stores some underclassmen never even heard of - have closed.

Luxi on Fifth closed after a short stint just north of Green Street. The only difference is that no new retailers are replacing them.

One reason for the influx of restaurants is because it's easier to start a new restaurant, Blakeman said.

Many of the storefronts previously housed restaurants and already have kitchens and layouts perfect for a new food establishment.

Also changing the face of Green Street is a new Illini Media building currently being built. The home of the Daily Illini and WPGU will be located between Legends and One World Pizza next semester.

An even newer development is that a large percentage of new businesses are chains.

While the city does not seek out chains, Blakeman said many factors, including changing demographics and populations, can play a role in attracting chains.

In the past few years the city has worked to improve the streetscape of Green Street, which could have also played a role according to Blakeman.

More students have been staying for the summer according to Blakeman. This in turn creates a more stable market.

Once an area meets a certain number of criteria chains start to look, creating a domino effect among chains.

"They all kind of travel in packs. One follows right after another," Blakeman said.

Since the addition of these new chains, more chains have come. Chipotle and Noodles & Company are moving into a new building on the corner of Green Street and Sixth Avenue.

Blakeman says that in the past few years Campustown has really morphed.

"For a while there were tons of Asian restaurants opening, now it's regional chains," he said.

Even Jimmy John's, a former local restaurant, has become a chain.

Antonio's Pizza supervisor Nik AD said the college-town oriented pizza chain had been looking at Champaign for a long time.

The chain started in Amherst, Mass., and then branched into Providence, R.I. It had planned to move into Champaign until they ran into a few roadblocks.

AD says Antonio's is a perfect fit for Green Street. Cheap pizza offered until the wee hours of the morning is a great addition to the street.

Starbucks is another chain that had been looking at Champaign for a while as well.

Starbucks Store Manager Rebecca Brooks said the chain was just looking for the right time to make moving to Champaign a possibility.

"We're really happy to be here," she said. "I'm glad to be a part of bringing Starbucks here."

Brooks said Starbucks had its eye on Champaign but needed to find a good location and piece of real estate.

It helped that a lot of new chains had been moving to the area, she said. In the next year Starbucks plans to expand to North Prospect and into Marketplace Mall as well.

The next question city planners are looking at is expansions: will these new businesses and chains add locations throughout Champaign?

Panera is opening a new location near the mall, and many new businesses have been opening in downtown Champaign, leasing spaces in the new One Main building.

City planners hope the economic growth will not stay limited to Green Street, but will spread throughout town