Businesses of Mount Prospect

Does MPHS have photographs: Yes

Address: Mount Prospect Plaza

Is building standing: No

What is at site: Mount Prospect Plaza

When was business founded: Company was founded in 1914 but opened in Mount Prospect Plaza in 1961

If no, when did it close: 1977

Who owned business: Maurice and Nathan Goldblatt

Interesting stories, facts, history:

Goldblatts was an important early department store in the Chicago area. Through large scale purchases, they were able to negotiate lower prices and increase the number of customers who came into their stores. They were even able to increase their customer base during the depression. They opened one of the first department stores in Mount Prospect, at the Mount Prospect Plaza, the first strip mall in Mount Prospect. By the early 1970s Goldblatt’s had over 40 store in the Chicago area.

Unfortunately, a major fire tore through Goldblatts in 1977. It took several hours and more than 100 firefighters from 9 suburbs to bring the fire under control, as ice and freezing temperatures delayed the extinguishing of the fire. After the fire, Goldblatt’s moved to Arlington Heights.

The vacant space was soon turned into a park with public art. One of those sculptures on display was “Hula Pole,” a giant kinetic sculpture by George Rhoads. By the late 1980s the park was replaced by another commercial building.

Top photo caption: Aerial view of Mount Prospect Plaza in the 1960s
Bottom photo caption: Goldblatts fire during the morning of February 6, 1977

Does MPHS have photographs: Yes

Address: 320 W. Central

Is building standing: Yes

What is at site: Friedrichs Funeral Home

When was business founded: 1958 in Mount Prospect. Still operating.

Who owned business: Hank Friedrichs

Interesting stories, facts, history:

The Friedrichs Funereal home has been offering mortician services in Mount Prospect for close to five decades. The family business goes back over 100 years and four generations, although it has not always been in Mount Prospect. Hank Friedrichs has been very involved with community organizations and has been a large supporter of the community.

Photo taken in 1965

Does MPHS have photographs: Yes

Address: Northwest Highway and Elm

Is building standing: No

What is at site: Townhouses

When was business founded: 1905

Who owned business: J. B. Crowfoot

Interesting stories, facts, history:

The Crofoot Company was probably the largest industrial concern in Mount Prospect in the 1920s. The factory produced “modern and up-to-date” staplers, and tackers for a number of uses, including assembling screens and attaching labels to shipping crates. Originally started in 1905 in the Crofoot family home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin it moved to Chicago to take advantage of the larger market and the easy access to transportation. The firm moved to Arlington Heights in the early 1920s but was lured to Mount Prospect by William Busse a few years later. When the Crofoot Company moved to Mount Prospect, they brought a workforce that greatly increased the population of the community and improved home sales in Busse’s Eastern Addition. The factory was located in a large building on the corner of Evergreen and Maple, near the water tower.

Does MPHS have photographs: Yes

Address: 101 S. Main Street

Is building standing: Yes

What is at site: Central Continental Bakery

When was business founded: 1979. Still operating.

Who owned business: Bob and Roger Czerniak

Interesting stories, facts, history:

The Central Continental Bakery is not only one of the largest and most successful bakery’s in the northwest suburbs, it is also on a very interesting site. The most influential person in the development of Mount Prospect was Cook County Commissioner William Busse and right here, where Central Continental Bakery is today, was his first house in Mount Prospect. He built his home here in 1894 and married and raised his family here. This was certainly the grandest house in Mount Prospect. There were formal sunken gardens behind the home and the home was used to entertain distinguished guests who came to town. The house was so nice that a number of William Busse’s friends asked to get married in his home. Their pastor would come to the Busse house and hold the ceremony in the Commissioner’s parlor. As William Busse got older and his children moved out he decided to build himself a new smaller home. In the 1920s he built his new house directly behind his first house, were village hall is now. He then had his first house picked up and moved onto Emerson Street and gave it to one of his sons.

He then built the building that is now Central Continental Bakery and rented it out to Meeske’s Market. Meeske’s Market was a fixture in downtown Mount Prospect for 59 years. It started in 1925 in the Busse Building on Main Street and built 101 S. Main in 1950 when they expanded. In 1973 the Meeske family sold the business, although the store maintained the name. The shop was closed in 1984 after going through a series of owners. The small locally-owned grocery store in downtown was not able to compete against massive chain stores in shopping plazas at the outskirts of town. After a renovation Central Continental Bakery moved into the space and has been there ever since.

Does MPHS have photographs: No

Address: 10 S. Pine Street

Is building standing: Yes

What is at site: Capannari’s and Moehling Park

When was business founded: 2001. Still operating.

Who owns business: Ken Dix, Katie Dolan Dix, Jim Capannari, and Meg Dolan Capannari

Interesting stories, facts, history:

Capannari’s Ice Cream is located in the building that was the first general store in Mount Prospect. It was a small general store located at the corner of Main Street and Northwest Highway. The store was originally started by Cook County Commissioner Christian Geils. However, Geils soon found out that running a general store was not his calling in life. While Geils was discovering that he did not like running a general store, a man named John Conrad Moehling was in Elk Grove discovering that he did not like farming. In 1882 the two came together and Moehling bought the store. He found that he did enjoy being a store keeper and he soon became an institution in the community. He began selling farm tools, coal, seed, feed, groceries, shoes, etc. and built a warehouse along a side track to help bring in and ship out materials.

John C. Moehling was one of Mount Prospect’s biggest promoters. Throughout his career he worked hard to improve Mount Prospect and bring in new services and businesses. Moehling also convinced the Chicago Northwestern Railroad to build a new Depot in Mount Prospect and was appointed the first depot agent, a position he held from 1887 until 1902. In 1875 he was a charter member of the Mutual County Fire Insurance Company of Mount Prospect, in 1884 he organized the Jefferson Democratic Club, and in 1895 he was one of the founders of the Central School and District 57. Moehling was also appointed the first Postmaster of Mount Prospect on December 31, 1885 and based the local post office in his store. He served as Postmaster for twelve years or until 1897.

The building stayed in John C Moehling’s family for generations. However, by the late 1990s it had fallen into disrepair and its future was unclear. The Village of Mount Prospect was planning to purchase the entire block and demolish the buildings as a part of a downtown re-development plan. Concerned citizens stepped in and with the help of Trustee Paul Hoefert, were able to have the building saved. It was moved to Pine Street and largely through the work of volunteers, was rehabbed and turned into a new business. Capannari’s Ice Cream moved in and began offering homemade gourmet ice cream to the community. Soon Capannari’s Ice Cream was winning awards and the business began offering different programs for the community, including summer movie nights, and tours for elementary students. The success of the business showed the rewards that can be achieved by an active public, an appreciation of history and a responsible business.

Does MPHS have photographs: Yes

Address: Originally 303 E. Evergreen, moved to 320 E. Northwest Highway in 1987

Is building standing: Second building standing but greenhouses were demolished in 1986

What is at site: Busse Flowers; townhomes at greenhouse site.

When was business founded: 1916. Still operating.

Who owned business: Louise and Fred Busse to Harold and Carol Busse to Paul and Linda (Busse) Seils

Interesting stories, facts, history:

In 1916, Louis Busse, following the suggestion of his son Fred Busse opened a wholesale flower business at 303 E. Evergreen. At that time, Mount Prospect was unincorporated, the population of the village totaled slightly less than three hundred, and Northwest Highway existed only in the minds of city planners. In these conditions Busse’s greenhouse was on the outskirts of town and was surrounded by open space and fields. The father and son team used Louis Busse’s knowledge of farming and Fred Busse’s experience working in a greenhouse in Des Plaines to build up a successful wholesale business, shipping flowers daily by train to merchants in Chicago.

In the 1930s and 40s, as the population of Mount Prospect expanded so did Busse Flowers. No longer on the outskirts of town, Busse Flowers began catering to the growing demand for retail sales in the community. By the end of World War II the population of Mount Prospect was booming and the time was ripe to expand the flower store. When Harold Busse, one of Fred Busse’s three sons, returned from his Army service in 1947, Busse Flowers built an addition for retail sale of flowers, pottery and other gift items.

Harold Busse and his wife Carol began working exclusively in the retail business. They were able to expand this part of the business while the greenhouse continued to supply them with flowers by the dozen. In 1951 the store was remodeled and the sales area was significantly increased. The store was now offering greeting cards, artificial flowers, decorative vases and an assortment of other collectibles. At this time, Mount Prospect was in a period of major expansion with a population more than doubling in the preceding ten years.

In 1964 Harold and Carol took over the ownership of the business and completely remodeled the store. With this remodeling came a major expansion of the retail store to meet the demand of the continually expanding population of Mount Prospect.

As with previous generations, Harold and Carol had both of their children involved in the business. Their older child, Linda, is running the business today with her husband Paul Seils. Paul had been working at the flower shop part time while attending Northern Illinois University and dating Linda. In 1970, after graduating with a degree in Business Administration, Paul Seils began working full time at the store and has been there ever since.

Since Paul and Linda have been at Busse Flowers there have been a few changes. The biggest of these is that Busse Flowers is now in a different building at a new address. In 1987, as a part of the village’s downtown redevelopment plan Busse Flowers sold its original location and moved one block from the corner of Evergreen and Elm to the Corner of Northwest Highway and Elm Streets. The new store was exclusively retail with the greenhouses being left behind. In this way, Busse Flowers has mirrored the development of Mount Prospect, going from farming to exporting specialty goods to mixed retail and finally to just retail.

The legacy of Busse Flowers is not only in the development and longevity of the business but also in what the business has given back to the community. In 1961 Busse Flowers began hosting a Holiday Open house, which became a yearly tradition and was one of the most popular holiday events. The flower shop brought design and creativity to the residents of Mount Prospect by offering flower design classes from the 1970s to today. The florists also worked with other groups in the community, such as the Historical Society who they have been cosponsoring a flower show with for the past ten years. And of course the owners and employees of Busse Flowers have been heavily involved with the Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce for decades. Paul Seils was elected President of the Chamber in 1984 and has been involved since.

The traditions of Busse Flowers have continued with a new generation. Paul and Linda’s children Jeremy and Heather have joined the staff of the store, and Jeremy’s wife, Sarah, has been brought into the flower business as well. Utilizing the energy and dedication of this fifth generation, Mount Prospect’s longest running business is sure to continue for years to come.

Greenhouses

Busse Flowers is the longest running business in Mount Prospect. It is all retail today, although it started out in 1916 as a greenhouse company. Mount Prospect was a largely rural village until the 1950s and many of the residents worked on farms or in agricultural fields. One of the biggest products of Mount Prospect was flowers. Other than Busse Flowers, there was also Kellen Brothers Greenhouses, Homeyer Greenhouses, and Haberkamp Greenhouses. Over the years the property became more valuable as residential property and all the greenhouses were closed. In 1986 Busse Flowers sold its greenhouses to the Village as a part of a TIF District development and became a strictly retail establishment.

Does MPHS have photographs: Yes

Address: Originally in 2 W. Busse, moved to 30-32 S. Main

Is building standing: No. Demolished 2006 and 1999

What is at site: Blues Bar and Condos

When was business founded: 1912

Is business still operating: No. Sold to John Mufich in 1966 and name changed

Who owned business: Originally, William Busse

Interesting stories, facts, history:

In 1908 William Busse was walking along Michigan Avenue in Chicago with a business associate. They passed a Buick dealership and were fascinated by the car they saw in the window. They were a little cautious, but agreed to buy a car. William Busse enjoyed the car and two years later upgraded to a larger car. He was so impressed that he contacted the manufacturer and offered to become a local agent, he was told that the Buick Dealers in Chicago had a deal that there could be no other dealers in Cook County outside the city limits, so William Busse went home, but did not forget. Two years later, he was finishing building the 2 W. Busse building and a stranger showed up and asked to speak to William Busse. He explained that he was a Buick representative and had come to offer Busse a charter for a local agency. Busse Buick was born in 1912 and originally housed in the building at 2 W. Busse. This building houses Busse’s hardware store and each day they would roll the cars out onto the street in the morning and then roll them back into the store at night.

Soon a small cinderblock garage was built. This 1915 cinderblock building was built to be used as a service station, complete with gas pumps; however it was too small for their operations. In 1918, they began construction of a larger garage at 30 S. Main Street. The building was expanded in 1921 and then again in 1928. In that same year, William Busse broke up the Busse Hardware Store, he made Busse Buick independent; sold the hardware store to Frank Biermann, creating Busse-Biermann Hardware; and sold the farm equipment dealership to Herman Meyn.

The building along Main Street was a center in the village. It was a full service mechanics shop, gas station, and a car dealership. The Busse Buick dealership remained a landmark in downtown Mount Prospect for fifty years and remained within the Busse family for that entire time. When the dealership was sold in 1966, it was the oldest Buick dealership in Cook County. However, with the development of larger dealerships in fringe areas and increased sprawl, a dealership in the center of town was not large enough to compete and had no space to grow. When the dealership was sold, it moved and the building was later used by the Northwest Electric Supply Company. The façade of the building was modified and the structure was not well maintained. Eventually, the building was demolished in the 1990s to make way for a condominium building.

Does MPHS have photographs: Yes

Address: Originally 4 Northwest Highway, later moved to 117 S. Emerson

Is building standing: Yes

What is at site: Empty

When was business founded: 1992

Is business still operating: No

If no, when did it close: 2003

Who owned business: Fred and Chris Adams

Interesting stories, facts, history:

Boston Coffee was named because of Fred Adams’ love of the TV show Cheers and his desire to make a coffee shop where people could gather and all the regulars would “know your name.” The shop was a landmark in downtown Mount Prospect for over a decade and in that time Fred and Chris did learn just about everyone’s name. For years, Boston Coffee roasted their own beans in house and brewed millions of cups of coffee. With more national chain coffee shops opening in the downtown and Fred and Chris having different plans, the shop closed in the spring of 2003. In the weeks before it closed, the regular customers came in and wrote down their memories, thanks and best wishes for Fred and Chris in a small book. A copy of this book is on file at the Mount Prospect Historical Society.