In contrast, the foot traffic in and around powerhouse suburban shopping center Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg was down about 29%. In the area in and around Old Orchard, in Skokie, foot traffic was down 20% to 37%, according to the Unacast report.
At The Shops at North Bridge indoor mall along North Michigan, the owners of the Giuseppa Collection, which sells Italian-inspired women’s clothing, said sales were down about 75% compared with last summer in June and July. After the second round of looting, it got even quieter.
“Last year there were so many tourists, so many local people,” said owner and founder Grace Krynski. “It’s a completely empty street.”
During August’s unrest, people broke in, stole merchandise and left mannequins in pieces on the floor, she said.
Krynski and her daughter Pauline said the family is considering whether to remain on Michigan Avenue.
Downtown apartments, popular with city-loving millennials, students and empty-nesters, are hurting too.
In July, the occupancy rate for downtown apartment buildings fell below 90% for the first time since 2002, according to Gail Lissner, managing director of Integra Realty Resources, which tracks occupancy rates at 130 apartment buildings downtown. The rate was nearly 95% a year ago.
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