Lincoln Park is filling in its retail gaps. Fleet Feet Sports — operated by Dlzimco Inc., the same franchisee running the Southport Ave location in Ward 44 — filed a Limited Business License at 1706 N Wells St in Ward 43, adding a second Chicago location for the running specialty chain. The Wells Street address puts it in the heart of Old Town, a neighborhood that's seen renewed retail interest after a few rough pandemic years.

Dollop Coffee Co. filed a Retail Food Establishment license at 312 W Belden Ave, bringing the Chicago-based specialty coffee brand to Lincoln Park. Dollop has been expanding steadily across the city and is known for sourcing from local roasters — a different proposition than the Starbucks-or-nothing options that dominate many Chicago neighborhoods.

Ward 43 also saw Monica + Andy, the children's clothing brand, file at 2052 N Halsted St, and North Buena Deli & Wine (operating as Toaste Foods LLC) file at 345 W Armitage Ave. The ward covers Lincoln Park, Old Town, and parts of DePaul — neighborhoods where retail vacancy has been a persistent concern, making these filings a modest but real positive signal. Source: Chicago Business Licenses.