(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – The owner of a Logan Square hardware store plans to close in the next month or two, after more than 75 years in business.
It wasn’t just COVID that made times tough for Alan Gillman and Gillman Ace Hardware.
It was what happened coincidentally during the height of COVID.
The city put protected bike lanes in front of his store, in the 2100 block of North Milwaukee.
And then there was no parking.
“Business dropped a lot, and then it was like a ripple effect. Month by month, year by year, it just kept dwindling down,” he tells WBBM Newsradio.
“People call me daily and say, ‘Al, we’re driving by. We’d love to come in and give you the business, but there’s nowhere to park.’”
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Gillman says he has nothing against bicyclists. He rides a bike himself. But he says he’s disappointed the city didn’t do more to help his small business stay.
Now at age 64, he says he’s ready to call it a day and work in the hardware business someplace else.
“I’m looking forward to working 40 hours instead of 80 hours a week,” Gillman said.
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