Our small businesses create dynamic neighborhood destinations, encourage cross-cultural exchanges, and employ Chicago residents in high-quality jobs.

The holiday season provides an incredible opportunity to show our appreciation of them.

Here’s a list of small businesses in the North Branch we encourage you to consider supporting now and in 2025:

• Brothers Restaurant (3000 W. Belmont), a family-and-Mexican owned, breakfast and lunch restaurant in Avondale. The restaurant produces a variety of dynamic breakfast and lunch dishes. Chicago BACP recently featured Brothers Restaurant in a video you can see here.

• The Alley Chicago (2620 W Fletcher) designs and sells counter-cultural leather, footware, jewelry, belt-buckles and t-shirts. The business carries a wide variety of items so it’s a great place to look for unique gifts.

• Metropolis Coffee Company (3057 N. Rockwell) manufactures award-winning coffee. The business has a retail shop at Rockwell on the River where you can buy merchandise including posters, hats, and t-shirts.

• Lucas Tire & Autocare (3500 N Western Avenue) is a family-owned, small business that has served North Center for over forty years. The shop is known for its high-quality repairs, friendly customer service, and reasonable prices. We highly recommend taking your vehicle to Lucas Tire & Autocare for all your maintenance needs.

• Hyun’s Hapkido & Taekwondo School (2743 N. Western) has taught taekwondo and hapkido classes for adults and children for over fifty years at its location at Western, Elston, and Diversey Avenues. Grandmaster Kwang Hyun offers a free trial lesson for anyone interested in trying the martial arts classes. He can be reached at 773-252-8300.

• Thattu (2601 W Fletcher St) is a family-owned restaurant that provides delicious southwest Indian dishes from the coastal province of Kerala. Rich with aromatic spices, coconut and curry leaves, the cuisine is a celebration of the bounty of the land and the sea. Thattu is open for lunch on Saturdays and Sundays and dinner from Wednesdays through Mondays. Make a reservation here.

• Albatross Wine Company (1000 N North Branch) is a family-owned, customer service driven retail wine company. The business sources the best from every region while focusing on small production striving to be your go-to for hard-to-find bottles. The owners are hosting their first annual champaign celebration on December 19th on Goose Island. To purchase tickets, please go here.

• Delmark Records (4121 N Rockwell St) is the longest continuously operating jazz and music label in the United States. This woman-owned business strives to ensure that jazz and blues musicians are recognized for their incredible talents.

• Burning Bush Brewery (4014 N Rockwell Street) offers twelves of its own beers on tap, eight guest wines, merchandise, and a variety of non-alcoholic options.

• Parachute HiFi (3500 N Elston Avenue) is a modern Korean restaurant in Avondale featuring owner and Chef Beverly Kim, one of the first people of color to win a James Beard Award.

Our staff is proud to work closely with these small businesses. We’d like to recognize them for the many contributions they make to the North Branch community.

Image credit: Mauricio Peña/ Block Club Chicago