Fate of Little Village Discount Mall hangs in the balance

CHICAGO - A judge will decide soon on the potential eviction of vendors from a Little Village Discount Mall.

Attorneys for the mall at 3101 W. 26th St., said the vendors knew for six months that redevelopment was happening and their business licenses would be terminated. 

But the vendors said the move is destroying their livelihood. They’ve asked the court for more time to relocate or liquidate their businesses. 

Change is already happening at the mall. Painters covered the lettering on the building and the awnings over the doors to the warehouse, home to dozens of local vendors. 

For decades, they have sold clothing, footwear, electronics, instruments, and cultural crafts, providing "a little piece of Mexico, in Chicago’s Little Village," according to the website. 

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The variety is why Antonio Juarez drove up from Champaign, Illinois with his family.

Juarez said his wife especially enjoys shopping at the Discount Mall because the clothing fits her small frame. He said vendors sell things he might find in his native Guatemala. 

Some vendors will have a future at the mall because they are represented by a different management company. 

Novak Construction plans to start work on the mall, other stores and the parking lot in April.