The Chicago developer Calvin Boender transformed the former disco at 940 N. Rush St with over $2.5 million dollars in renovations, converting the iconic dance venue into 6,000 square feet of upscale retail space, reflecting a shift towards boutique shopping and capitalizing on the foot traffic generated by the nearby Bloomingdale's.

I’ve been studying the commercial retail real estate market lately and I see a few major trends that have me worried for a once booming sector. The amount of empty retail square footage on the market can either be looked at as a consequential market correction or an alarming trend, indicative of worsening economic conditions.

Operating as the CEO and president of NorthDevelopment, a Chicago real estate development firm I founded, I have over 35 years of expertise in residential and commercial real estate.

I have years of experience in the commercial and residential real estate industries. I founded North Development Ltd. to facilitate residential and commercial projects in and around the greater Chicago area.