27-Apr-15 – For most of the past 52 years, there has been a grocery store at Marina City and after a yearlong interruption, that tradition has continued.

North Loop Market officially opened on April 17 but had been available to residents of Marina City since March 5.

March 24, 2014, was the last day of business for the previous store, Marina Food & Liquor. For almost one year, residents had to rediscover a neighborhood with no shortage of grocery and convenience stores, but none of them located inside their building.

While pairing food retail stores with residential buildings is not new, only in recent years have real estate experts considered it a necessity.

Robert Bond, president of Bond Companies, a developer of mixed-use properties, with an office in River North, told Forbes in 2013 that having a store in the building was becoming increasingly important.

“In the past, a food store might have been an afterthought,” he said. “Now, the shop-at-home experience is a starting point.”

More than a convenience for residents, a grocery store in the building helps condominium units sell faster and for higher prices. A study by Homebase, a public policy firm in San Francisco, found residential property values increase 20 percent when there is an upscale grocery store nearby.

(Above) The deli section at front of store, before and after North Loop Market moved in.

South Loop chain expands to River North

While the space at Marina City sat empty, it was shown to numerous prospective tenants, not all of them grocery stores. There was an inquiry from a MillerCoors distributor. Hotel Chicago, the Marriott-branded hotel also located at Marina City, briefly considered doing something with the space.

On November 10, 2014, a building permit was issued for renovation of the space for use as a retail store. The name on the permit, Mike Hammad, was linked to Kammad Corporation, which owns three stores – on South Michigan Avenue, South Prairie Avenue, and West Van Buren Street – each of them called “South Loop Market.”

State records showed the owners of Kammad Corporation are, since 2011, Samir Kaman of Burbank, Illinois, southwest of Chicago, and Muhanad Hani Hammad of Bridgeview, Illinois, just west of Burbank. Samir’s brother, Jamil Ismail Kaman, and Rami Hammad, are also mentioned in published reports as co-owners.

Applying for a liquor license on January 21, 2015, however, was Handi Corp., ownership of which is not specified in state records. It was only then that the name of the new store, “North Loop Market,” became known. The store failed its initial health inspection on February 5 but passed five days later and on February 24 was issued a retail food establishment license.

None of this information came from those involved. For months, neither South Loop Market nor the commercial property manager at Marina City or the general contractor, Copper Tree Construction Company, responded to messages seeking information. A representative of South Loop Market surfaced briefly on Twitter, just long enough to call Loop North News “pushy and rude” and block Loop North News from viewing its tweets.

(Above) Front of the new store, with wine cooler at left, table and chairs at right, compared with the same area in 2009.

Rehab overhauls old store, leaves deli counters

The renovation spared little of the old store. Estimated on the building permit at $10,000, work included new floor, walls, lighting, shelves, coolers, wall-mounted television, and point of sale system. The front of the new space, where the previous store had displayed videos for rent, was transformed into a wine display with tables and chairs.

Deli counters that had not been used for years were brought back to life, stocked with Boar’s Head cold cuts and cheese.

(Above) Point of sale system at front of store on April 24, 2015. (Below) Same angle on April 2, 2014.

(Above) Aisles as seen from north side of the store. Checkout area in distance at right. (Below) The same view but farther back in 2014.

The previous store, Marina Food & Liquor, served Marina City from September 2001 to March 2014. That store was owned by Pankaj Patel of Marina Towering Corporation and run almost single handedly by Alex Espinoza.

(Left) Chalmer Herold (1923-1999), owner of Marina City Finer Foods, which opened – across the concourse from where North Loop Market is located today – between May 30 and April 2, 1963. It was open every day, selling meat, produce, groceries, baked goods, prepared foods, and sundries. There was a free delivery service – either to your apartment if you lived at Marina City or to your car if you worked there. A pharmacy, owned by Leonard Solomon, sold cigarettes, cigars, film, greeting cards, liquor, magazines, newspapers, perfume, postcards, souvenirs, and stamps.

(Above) Grocery store at Marina City in 1964 (left), published in Ebony magazine, and 1965 (right), as seen in a film by Arthur Mandler.