Chicago Department of Business Affairs & Licensing

The City’s sidewalk café season has finally arrived, with temperatures rising restaurant goers will soon be looking for a prime spot to dine on one of the City’s 700 sidewalk cafés.

For more information about business education workshops or for sidewalk café applications, please visit www.cityofchicago.org/businessaffairs or call 312-74-GOBIZ

This month, the City of Chicago, Department of Business Affairs and Licensing (DBA) will offer workshops that provide business owners with information on how to prepare for a public health inspection, how to write a business plan, and a hands on session on how to apply for a Community Express Loan from the Small Business Association (SBA).

DBA’s business education workshops are free and open to new and existing business owners. The workshops are conducted by experts in the industry and are held twice a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays, located at:
DBA’s City Hall Office 121 N. La Salle Street, Room 805

To register for a workshop, call 312-744-5344.

Friday, April 6
9:30-11:00a.m.

Small businesses looking to expand, purchase inventory, or secure working capital can participate in the Community Express Loan Program. Businesses can apply for this loan from $5,000 to $50,000 at the workshop with minimal paperwork, no collateral, copy of driver’s license or state ID, a good credit rating and minimal fees, only when approved.

To register for this workshop, call 312-744-5344.

When: April 7th
Where: Citibank - 1455 N. Milwaukee Ave.
What Time: 10 am – 3 pm

March of Dimes
Saving Babies one At a Time

Meeting of the Board of Commissioners

Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Bucktown/ Wicker Park Library Branch
1701 N. Milwaukee Ave.

6:30pm Meet and Greet
7:00pm Call to Order

Wednesday, April 11 3:00- 4:30p.m

Join the Department of Public Health and learn the process and what the city requires to pass your public health inspection. This workshop can help you better prepare when opening or operating a restaurant, other retail food establishment, or any business that requires a health inspection.

To register for this workshop, call 312-744-5344.

Thursday, April 12th

Jane’s Restaurant
1653-55 W. Cortland
12pm-1:30pm

Orientation luncheon for our newest members!

“Her designs were works of art…from the formal and intricate to wild abstractions…” ~Vanity Fair, April 2007

Lucy Rose Design Showroom and Crosell & Co are pleased to invite you
To welcome international author Helen O’Neill for the Chicago launch of her new book

Florence Broadhurst: Her Sececret and Extraordinary Lives
By Chronicle Books

To Preview the Florence Broadhurst fabric and wall paper collections
Thursday, April 12th
Cocktails and hors’ d’oeuvres 5-8pm

Crosell & Co.
1922 N. Damen Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647
Valet Parking Available

RSVP by Wed., April 11th
LRDshowroom@mac.com or phone 773-278-2282

Friday, April 13
9:30-11:00a.m.

Learn the essentials of business plan writing to better market your business for lending opportunities. Come prepared to outline your
concept and create your business plan.

To register for this workshop, call 312-744-5344.

Wednesday, April 18
3:00- 4:00p.m.

Do you find health benefits difficult to understand? This workshop will discuss why health benefits are important for you, your business and your employers and address important factors when choosing a plan that suits both your medical and financial needs such as affordability, coverage, convenience, decision support tools, ease of access, and flexibility.

To register for this workshop, call 312-744-5344.

Destination Damen*, an organization of retail shops on Damen Ave between North Ave and Armitage, is walking in the Y-Me Breast Cancer walk on Mother’s Day, May 13th.

We are hoping to get our neighbors and customers to become part of our team. To that end, on April 19th from 5-8 pm, each participating store will host a party with 10% of the evening proceeds donated to the Y-ME foundation. Refreshments will be served at each store.

Destination Damen stores will have forms available and will give a free t-shirt to each participant who signs up that evening. The Y-ME foundation registration fee is $25 for the walk.

After the Y-ME walk on Mother’s Day, May 13th , the stores will be serving coffee, juice, and sweets.

*Destination Damen was formed to make a unified presence in Bucktown. We are all individually owned shops with varying merchandise, united to provide the best shopping experience for our customers. The members are as follows: Apartment Number 9 – Belly Dance – Caroline Devillo – City Soles – Clothes Minded – Crosell & Co. – Embelezar – Gem – Giraudon – Helen Yi – Malabar – Michelle Tan – p.45 – Psychobaby – Raizy – Riley – Shebang – STITCH – Tangerine – T-Shirt Deli

If there are any further questions, please contact Judy @ p.45 773-862-4523 e-mail: info@p45.com or Pamela at STITCH 773-782-1570 e-mail: pamela@stitchchicago.com

Sponsored in part by CS Magazine

Thursday, April 19th, 6pm
at
Around the Coyote Gallery
1935 1/2 W. North Ave.
Learn more about how your business can participate with Around the Coyote and contribute toward maintaining a nice diverse artistic community in
Wicker Park & Bucktown

RSVP to info@wickerparkbucktown.com by April 18th

Friday, April 20
9:30 - 11:00a.m.

Learn how QuickBooks accounting software program for businesses can save you hours a week in paying bills and recording transactions. This workshop will show how to set-up QuickBooks online bill pay service and how to download credit card transactions.

To register for this workshop, call 312-744-5344

News from the Office of Alderman Manuel Flores
You are invited to a community meeting to learn about a proposed Planned Development (PD) for the property located at 1372 N. Milwaukee Ave., site of a Walgreens store. The PD is for a seven story, mixed-use building with 81 residential units and 153 parking spaces.

Event Info
Wicker Park Fieldhouse
1425 N. Damen Ave.
Saturday, April 21
2:30 PM

Wednesday, April 25
1:30 - 3:30p.m.
How to Get Certified with the CITY OF CHICAGO.
3:30 - 4:30p.m.
Doing Business with the CITY OF CHICAGO.
Are you interested in doing business with or being a certified vendor with the City? Attend the hands-on “How to Get Certified” workshop or come learn the laws governing the City’s procurement process, the different types of procurements, contract monitoring and compliance standards during our “Doing Business with the City” worksh op.

To register for this workshop, call 312-744-5344

Friday, April 27
9:30-11:00am

This workshop’s goal is to empower small business owners to navigate through a commercial real estate transaction from locating property to negotiating/closing a lease to understanding a purchasing contract.
The monthly workshop calendar is available online at www.cityofchicago.org/businessaffairs

To register for this workshop, call 312-744-5344

To All Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce Members: You’re Invited!
to an Open House at Chicago Avenue Family Medicine, the office of Shannon Kropp, M.D
2246 W. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 276-6831

on the north side of W. Chicago Ave. between Oakley and Leavitt

Saturday, April 28th, 2007
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
FREE blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes screenings offered
light refreshments provided
Come celebrate the opening of a new medical office in the area!
Dr. Kropp is a fellow chamber member!

Come join us for a FREE day of YOGA
On Saturday April 28th

AHG will be offering 2 classes of yoga in support of
IBS Awareness Month

Timothy Suh will teach Sivananda Yoga at 2 & 4pm
Come join in the fun!!!
Donations will be accepted and given to the
International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders
http://www.iffgd.org/

Saturday April 28th, 2007
Doors open from 2-6pm
Alternative Health Group
1834 W. North Ave., #1
Chicago, IL 60622

Anyone with IBS will receive 20% off all treatments received during the entire month of April, 2007.
This is a free event