Since opening in 2007, Oak Park’s Latin-fusion restaurant Maya Del Sol has offered a valet service to customers. This adds an extra “hospitable touch” to the dining experience, said Chris Ramirez, managing partner. Last week, Maya Del Sol added extra valet parking spots allowing it to extend this hospitality to customers of other Oak Park Avenue businesses.
Since Renew the Avenue, a 10-month long water, sewer and streetscaping project on Oak Park Avenue, began in February, business owners have said they were losing customers. Seeing a decrease in foot traffic and customers having even more difficulty finding parking, Ramirez said the loss of convenience has been the biggest hit to businesses.
When Oak Park Avenue’s diverse businesses lose customers and the street sees a decrease in pedestrians, the neighborhood loses some of its charm, said Ramirez. “The businesses in the area we believe really are responsible for a lot of the vitality in the area, and having streets full of people walking around is really helpful,” he said.
Ramirez said Maya Del Sol has not seen the decrease in business it had been preparing for. He credited loyal customers, a back patio, and hours that don’t overlap with construction hours. His team brainstormed ways to support other businesses that had seen a dip in customers and decided that expanding its valet service would help to combat this issue of convenience.
The team found additional parking for the valet at nearby St. Edmund’s Church. Customers can find the service in the alley behind Maya Del Sol. Like the parking for the restaurant, the valet service costs $5, which goes directly to the valet company.
Ramirez said he hopes this service will serve as a point of “positive conversation” during a difficult time for business. The construction is temporary, but “a season can really affect the business,” he said. “Our goal is to put out a positive light and show that we are here for the community, because we know that the community is here for us, and they’ve proven that time and time again. So if we can bring a positive light and start a conversation and create awareness about what is going on and the struggles that are in the area, we’re hoping that that can just help bring people together and to our streets to help support.”
He wants the project to send a message of “neighborly care and grace and community,” he said. “The community is really why we exist, so we think this is a really nice step in just starting a positive, hopeful, forward-looking conversation.”
Moses Valdez, president of the Hemingway Business District and owner of Selleria Veneta and the Style Society Club, is optimistic about the construction project. “Once the construction is done, it’s going to be very beneficial for our businesses in the avenue,” he said. The businesses will get through this season by working together as a community, said Valdez.
Seeing Maya Del Sol extend the valet service to customers of other businesses “is amazing,” Valdez said. “I think that’s great. I think that is exactly the message that we’ve been trying to convey at the Hemingway District Association.”
Oak Park Avenue’s diverse businesses, from restaurants and retail to therapy and yoga, give the neighborhood a distinct “lifestyle,” said Valdez. Anan Abu-Taleb, Maya Del Sol owner and former village president, said competition and good business on Oak Park Avenue are central to Oak Park and the surrounding communities, and to his restaurant, which has been a staple in the community for 19 years.
The expanded valet service is “just a matter of being a good neighbor and reciprocating to the support,” Abu-Taleb said. He hopes the valet service will help other businesses during this difficult season. “If it doesn’t, it’s just like chicken soup,” he said. “It may help, it doesn’t hurt.”
Like Valdez, Ramirez is optimistic about the construction project when it is completed. “We really believe in the businesses in the community, and we want everybody to thrive,” he said. “We know that this is going to be beautiful when it’s done, and we’re very much looking forward to that. … We just want to do our best to make sure that everybody around us is still there with us, with their employees too, being able to make a living and provide for themselves.”