Rise of the neo-hagglers
Nobody has to tell Eli Blair it's a buyer's market. When she makes one of her regular visits to Guitar Center, she always negotiates on price. "They're pretty willing to...
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Government might turn profit, but the devil is in the details
The government is starting a new waste-hauling business, driving up to the nation's leading financial institutions and giving them a fresh start by taking the garbage off their balance sheets....
U. of C. property deals raising concern
The University of Chicago is one of the South Side's biggest landlords, so when it starts acquiring land in a new area, people notice -- even if the university was...
Non-profit helps rescue the home of her dreams
Decades ago, Bettye Sherrod fell in love with her dream house while riding a bus. It was an abandoned greystone with a bay window in the 3200 block of West...
Basics bolster retailers’ results
Frugal-minded shoppers spent their tax rebate checks at discount merchants last month, boosting sales at some of the country's largest chains, including Wal-Mart. But they stayed away from higher-priced department...
Washington Park’s promise attracting money, faith
Craig Huffman comes to the private-equity world with a multifaceted set of credentials: two master's degrees from the University of Chicago, stints in the non-profit world, and a stretch as...
Washington Park’s promise attracting money, faith
Craig Huffman comes to the private-equity world with a multifaceted set of credentials: two master's degrees from the University of Chicago, stints in the non-profit world, and a stretch as...
Program gives shoe store a leg up
It's a chilly Friday evening in mid-December, and the staff of Sensual Steps is bracing for an onslaught -- the holiday Midnight Madness sale, when everything from glittery sandals to...
Retail rehab gets started on Cottage Grove
It was the heart of Chicago's "Black Metropolis," a commercial swath of black-owned businesses that thrived on the South Side between World War I and World War II. To some,...
Rocky to head Wirtz Corp.
Under a succession plan crafted by his grandfather, Rocky Wirtz assumed the post of president of Wirtz Corp. and became chairman of its Chicago Blackhawks hockey franchise Friday. While Rocky's...