THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES: Thybony Paint (shown here in its original 19th-century storefront) may be leaving Andersonville this year, making way for a Walgreens pharmacy on Clark Street.
Goodbye, Thybony Paint. Hello… Walgreens?
That’s what Crain’s Chicago Business is reporting, at least. The rambling paint and wallpaper store anchoring the corner of Clark Street and Catalpa Avenue in Andersonville is soon to be replaced by a Walgreens pharmacy.
Andersonville, thus far, is largely free of ubiquitous chain stores (with the exception of Starbucks, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Jewel-Osco and a couple other shops.) Will a corner Walgreens, right across the street from the aforementioned Jewel-Osco, give our mom-and-pop city neighborhood more of a suburban big-box flavor?
The store is slated to open this fall, a spokeswoman for Deerfield-based Walgreen Co. told Crain’s. The existing 16,000-square-foot building will soon be remodeled to accommodate its new occupant. It is not known whether the family-owned Thybony, which was founded in Chicago in 1886 and now has another location at 3545 N. Kedzie Avenue, plans to relocate its Andersonville store.
But in the meantime… does Andersonville need another pharmacy? There are two literally right across the street: the Gordono Pharmacy (and sandwich shop) on the other side of Clark Street, and the Jewel-Osco across Catalpa Avenue. Meanwhile, there are three other Walgreens located within roughly a mile (at 5625 N Ridge Avenue, 1500 W Wilson Avenue, and 4720 N Marine Drive).
But a century-old paint store? Now that’s something every realtor (and her home-buyers) could use.
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