From box market village plans to new local businesses : Our most-read stories from last month

June 2, 2023|By Kevin Haas|In News, Rockford, Trending
Rock River Current top Rockford-area stories
Some of the top stories we published in May include (clockwise from top left) a potential box market village in Loves Park, a new business based at Rockford City Market, our editor breaking his neck, and Crimson Ridge employees opening a new flower shop. (Staff and provided images)
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Our most-read story from the past month was about an initiative to create a box market village along Riverside Boulevard in Loves Park.

Other popular stories from May were news we broke about new businesses and the neck one of us broke on a snowboard trip in Colorado.

All year, we’ve been sharing our 10 most-read stories from the past month so you can catch up on any of the big news you may have missed.

Here are the 10 stories with the most readership in May:

Lino’s shipping container restaurant could be a prototype for future box village

This concept art from Place Foundry shows what a future box market village could look like in Loves Park. (Image provided by Place Foundry)

Near the start of the month, we told you about plans taking shape for the city of Loves Park — in conjunction with the Parks Chamber of Commerce and Place Foundry — to create a box market village as part of an entertainment district near Mercyhealth Sportscore Two.

Shipping container markets are already used in places such as Chicago, Greenville, South Carolina, and London.

“Every other happening city across the United States, these little districts are popping up,” Charlie Schweinler, part of the third generation of family that’s running Lino’s, told us.

Full story: A box market village is planned for Loves Park as part of a future entertainment district 

New business wants to brighten up Rockford with rare flowers, plants and succulents

Terrakotta Rockford
Kendra Moreno, left, of Machesney Park, and Kailee Schulz, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, are pictured Friday, May 19, 2023, in the Terrakotta vendor space during Rockford City Market. The Rockford natives debuted their new business Friday at the first City Market of the season. (Photo by Susan Moran/Special to the Rock River Current)

Rockford City Market kicked off its 2023 season last month, and one of its 18 new vendors is Terrakotta, a new business run by Rockford natives whose day jobs are in aerospace and biology.

Kendra Moreno and Kailee Schulz have been growing their business since the start of the year in preparation for their City Market debut.

Full story: New woman-owned business wants to brighten up Rockford with rare flowers, plants and succulents

Roscoe man injured in Apollo Theatre collapse sues building owners

The marquee from The Apollo Theatre is loaded onto a flatbed truck on Saturday, April 1, 2023, as crews work to cleanup the wreckage of a powerful storm the night before. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

A Roscoe man who was injured when the roof of The Apollo Theatre collapsed when it was struck by an EF-1 tornado during a metal concert is suing the building’s owners claiming negligence.

The lawsuit was filed May 23 in Boone County court.

Full story: Roscoe man injured in Apollo Theatre collapse in Belvidere files lawsuit claiming negligence

New Mexican restaurant to fill former Granite City space

From left: Tollo Cruz and his wife, Liz, the owners of El Vallarta, and their son, Jesus, pose for a photo with other members of the team on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, at their new restaurant in the former Granite City Food & Brewery in Cherry Valley. (Photo by Helen Karakoudas/Special to the Rock River Current)

The former Granite City Food & Brewery space at CherryVale Mall is bustling again as work crews prepare to open El Vallarta Sports Bar and Grill.

The high-end bar, seafood restaurant, and live music venue does not have a set opening date.

Full story: New Mexican restaurant to fill former Granite City space in Cherry Valley

A message from the editor

Rock River Current Editor Kevin Haas broke his neck on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, in a snowboarding crash in Colorado. He’s pictured on Monday, May 15, 2023, in Rockford. (Photo by Mary Haas/Special to Rock River Current)

On May 9, I broke my neck snowboarding in Colorado.

The injury sidelined me for a few days, but things have been getting better since. Sensation has returned to all my extremities, with the exception of a couple fingers that are still numb.

I’m still working from home — and moving a bit slowly — while I do the best I can in a neckbrace for the next month or so.

Full column: From the editor: How we’ll keep Rockford news churning while I’m sidelined with a broken neck

New barbershop moves into former downtown restaurant

Exquisite LX owner Elena Martinez, seated in white, poses for a photo Monday, May 1, 2023, at a grand-opening celebration for her new barbershop at 420 E. State St. in downtown Rockford. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

A new barbershop opened last month inside the former Kuma’s restaurant space in downtown.

Elena Martinez moved Exquisite LX from its former home in Rockton to 420 E. State St., where Kuma’s had operated for nearly 15 years until it closed in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Full story: Exquisite Cuts and Shaves moves into former Kuma’s in downtown Rockford

New pickleball center coming to Loves Park

Victory Pickleball, 7003 N. Alpine Road in Loves Park, is expected to open in fall after $3 million in renovations. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

New ownership has taken over the Victory Sports Complex with plans to transform it into the region’s premier indoor pickleball destination.

Tim Ancona, who has coached Rockford Christian tennis for nine years and is the founder of the app development company Ticomix, hopes to open the remodeled facility in the fall.

Full story: New ownership plans to turn Victory Sports Complex into indoor pickleball destination 

Former Crimson Ridge employees open new flower shop

Chad Aumann is the owner of Flowers on River Park in Loves Park. He spent 23 years at Crimson Ridge before it closed and he opened his own business. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

One of the last stories we published in May was about a new flower shop along North Second Street that will have familiar faces behind the flowers for former customers of Crimson Ridge.

Flowers on River Park, 430 River Park Road, is a new venture from Chad Aumann, who spent 23 years at Crimson Ridge before it closed in March. Aumann is the shop’s owner, and helping him run the business are floral designers and fellow Crimson Ridge alumni Roger Ebert and Lisa Hardy.

Full story: Former Crimson Ridge employees now run Flowers on River Park

A look at Rockford Speedway’s development incentives

Loves Park City Council members have approved a pay-as-you-go redevelopment deal with the developers of the Rockford Speedway. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

A pay-as-you-go incentive package could provide developers of the Rockford Speedway with millions of dollars if their transformation of the 76-year-old racetrack is successful.

Loves Park City Council members approved the deal near the start of the month.

Full story: Rockford Speedway incentive package could be worth millions with successful development

Property purgatory

This house at 1518 Fourth Avenue in Rockford was condemned by the city of Rockford in 2018 after it was abandoned. This is house is one of the most recent properties to have its unpaid taxes purchased, only to have that money returned to the tax buyer as part of a “sale in error” process. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

This in-depth story examined how a loophole in the delinquent tax buying system leaves homes to cycle through a state of abandonment until they eventually decay.

Before the end of the month, state lawmakers took action on a part of the problem in their most recent legislative session.

Full story: ‘Property purgatory’: How a small tax loophoole leaves some Rockford properties left to decay

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas