How Highland Park small business owners are finding strength in the aftermath of tragedy

In the center of Highland Park, Illinois is Port Clinton Square. Designed in the 1980s with the aim of bolstering the local economy of downtown Highland Park, the plaza serves as a gathering hub for the community and business district, highlighting a large-scale map of the city. It is common to see children tracing their fingers through the miniaturized streets until they find their home.

Today, the map is covered with dozens of bouquets of flowers, placed in honor of the seven people who lost their lives and more than 30 people who were injured after a mass shooter opened fire on an unsuspecting crowd of July 4 parade participants. Over the next week, the neighborhood, made up mostly of small businesses and restaurants, came together to lean on each other and figure out how to move forward.

"I was walking over to see if any of my team members were watching the parade. We were supposed to open about 15 minutes later, and then it happened," says Ryan Gamperl, co-owner of Michael's Restaurant, who has been a Highland Park staple since it opened as a small hot dog stand in 1977. For nearly 50 years, the restaurant has served as a family-friendly venue, hosted countless bar and bat mitzvahs, and hosted hundreds of events in the courtyard of the region.

Michael's, along with many of the businesses that make up downtown Highland Park, was closed from July 4 to July 12 while the FBI investigated the area. During that week, Gamperl says he was forced to throw away $12,000 worth of spoiled food.

Beyond the financial loss, Gamperl says he was more frustrated at not being able to provide his community with the comfort food they love in times of grief.

Kira Kessler, founder of independent fashion boutique Rock N Rags, said she wasn't sure people would return once stores could reopen, but her fears quickly disappeared when she saw the crowd flooding the street again.

"Everyone was shopping, walking their dog, and having a bite to eat. It was the community's way of saying, 'We're taking our streets back, we won't live in fear,'" says Kessler, who has long ties with local businesses in the community. Her father ran local music store CD City for decades, and after gaining experience in the fashion industry in New York, she returned to her hometown just before the pandemic to develop the business. company.

Like Gamperl, Kessler says the tragedy only brought the Highland Park business community closer together. Instead of getting supplies from the local Walgreens, Kessler now frequents nearby general store Ross's and takes his team on lunch breaks to Michael's.

For its part, Gamperl has also seen a flurry of business since reopening, saying it's "making up for all the meals we weren't able to serve in the last week".

Efforts are already underway to ensure that this new sense of community among local businesses continues. Kessler says she is working with her neighbors to organize an event for the community and is discussing other ways to collaborate on projects together.

“Just in the last two weeks,” says Kessler, “I've gotten so close to neighboring business owners, people I didn't even know a month ago. Now we have this bond unbreakable. Any sense of corporate competition has just evaporated. All we want to do is support each other and bring this town together."