Oak Park is home to 12 distinct commercial districts, each offering unique stores, services and experiences that help make Oak Park a business community unlike any other. For a map of all 12 commercial districts, including a directory of businesses, please visit PickOakPark.com.
If you are looking for sites available to your business, please visit our Available Sites Inventory on this page or contact the Office of Economic Vitality at 708.358.5695 or EconomicVitality@oak-park.us for a list of sites tailored to your specific needs.
For new businesses or developers looking to invest in Oak Park, the Village has numerous resources to streamline processes and help companies enhance their vision. The Office of Economic Vitality serves to assist new and existing companies with services such as site-selection assistance, coordination regarding license and permit reviews and connecting owners with free and low-cost resources available to small businesses. The Village of Oak Park also offers financial incentives for interior and exterior build-out, installation or upgrade of fire suppression systems and sustainability improvements.
See below for detailed information about each Oak Park Business District.
Downtown Oak Park (DTOP) [4] is the Village’s thriving hub for commerce and culture, consisting of over 750,000 square feet of retail and office space. In addition to 40 different restaurants, cafes and eateries, Downtown is an entertainment destination by day and night. The Downtown Oak Park Business Alliance ensures that DTOP is alive at all hours of the day, supporting a variety of events such as Oaktoberfest and Thursday Night Out which offers free live entertainment every Thursday from June through August. Classic Cinemas Lake Theatre offers a modern movie-going experience in a 90-year-old historic art deco building, combining new releases with old favorites. At night, the Comedy Plex Comedy Club hosts nationally renowned stand-up acts in addition to up-and-coming stars. And the award-winning Oak Park Festival Theatre is the oldest professional classical theatre in the Midwest, bringing timeless stage productions to the majestic Austin Gardens. For those seeking the perfect balance of urban excitement with suburban comfort, DTOP is also home to hundreds of luxury residences and is immediately accessible to the Chicago Loop by Metra and CTA Green Line.
Immediately east of Downtown lies the Hemingway District [5], also easily accessible by Metra and the CTA Green Line. Just a short walk from the Ernest Hemingway Birthplace Museum, this neighborhood is steeped in history and brimming with one-of-a-kind boutiques, diverse restaurants and year-round public events. The Hemingway District is also home to Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece, the Unity Temple, both a U.S. National Historic Landmark and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Hemingway District Business Association helps ensure that the area continues to offer a vibrant blend of arts, culture, dining and shopping, making it a destination for residents and visitors alike.
Oak Park’s Pleasant District [7] can be found immediately south of Downtown. Seamlessly blending the traditional and modern, aesthetically pleasing brick-paved streets and building facades welcome visitors as well as the residents of the district’s mid-rises. The Pleasant District expands on Downtown’s shopping, dining and nightlife while providing the comfort and charm of the historic Carleton of Oak Park Hotel.
Along Austin Boulevard, Oak Park’s eastern border, three distinctive neighborhood experiences can be found, starting with Chicago Avenue at Austin Blvd. [3], the area Dr. Percy L. Julian called home. Here, independent personal-service providers and comforting casual dining spots combine with red brick and greystone residences to create a charming, walkable stretch of Oak Park.
Just south along Austin is the eastern gateway to Oak Park: Lake Street at Austin Blvd. [6] Oak Park history can be found here too, such as in the Blue Ribbon Meat Market which has served the area for nearly 50 years, and in One Lake Brewing which maintains the character (inside and out) of the century-old bank building that it now occupies. This segment of Lake Street is also home to the Park District of Oak Park's GRC (Gymnastics & Recreation Center) and the Oak Park River Forest Museum, all of which are accessible via the CTA Green Line.
A little farther south, one will find one of Oak Park’s true hidden gems: the Oak Park Arts District [11]. Along picturesque, tree-lined Harrison Street, immediately west of Austin Boulevard, exists this thriving arts and music community with more than a dozen artist studios and galleries showcasing independent creatives. Also along this pleasant half-mile are boutique merchants, health and wellness studios and neighborhood cafes and bistros. The Oak Park Arts District Business Association keeps this walkable section of the Village active with annual events like the spring's What's Blooming on Harrison street festival and the holiday season Art & Wine Walk. The Arts District is accessible by the CTA Blue Line and is just off I-290.
Go a little farther west of the Arts District and you’ll discover Southtown [10]. This eclectic part of Oak Park combines upscale taverns, cafés, bakeries, music stores, florists, personalized crafting and boutique grocery along a quarter-mile stretch of Oak Park Avenue crossing I-290. New investment has brought in multi-family development and new businesses, and the CTA Blue Line stops right in the heart of this unique part of Oak Park and features one of the best sunset views of the Chicago skyline anywhere.
Two more distinct commercial corridors extend from Oak Park’s western border, Harlem Avenue. “Historic” is more than just a word in the Chicago and Harlem Historic District [2] name, it’s literally the built environment surrounding this two-block nook of Oak Park. That’s because there are over a dozen Frank Lloyd-Wright designed homes within a half-mile walk. That includes the famed architect’s home and studio, which is open for visits, tours, and gift shoppers seven days a week. And a taste of history can be found at Petersen’s Ice Cream on Chicago Avenue, which has been slinging scoops and sundaes since 1919.
A mile-and-a-half directly south is the Garfield Street at Harlem Avenue [9] corridor. The former H.J. Mohr & Sons site is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for redevelopment, offering nearly 2.5-acres right off I-290 and the CTA Blue Line. Garfield Street also offers numerous personal and professional services, such as the Animal Care League and the Autobarn Volvo dealership.
Oak Park is also home to three major east-west commercial thoroughfares. The North Avenue Business Corridor [1] has nearly 500,000 square feet of retail, restaurants, and service providers, in addition to multi-family housing and the beloved Wonder Works Children’s Museum, which is just a half-mile walk from the Galewood Metra station. Running through central Oak Park is Madison Street [8], where the Village of Oak Park municipal campus can be found in addition to independent and national chain restaurants, pharmacies, and grocery stores. It’s also the location of RUSH Oak Park Hospital and the 200-seat Madison Street Theater which hosts the annual Oak Park Film Festival. Finally, Oak Park’s southern border is traversed along Roosevelt Road [12], home to Kinslahger Brewing Company and Salerno’s Pizza - a Chicagoland institution since 1966.