Small businesses along the Asia on Argyle corridor in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood are hoping for an economic boost thanks to a new push from the state comptroller's office.
In the kitchen at Pho Loan in Uptown, the manager is proud of their Vietnamese noodle soup but admits it's been hard to get customers through the door. He told NBC Chicago his business is seeing a 60% drop in revenue.
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WATCH HERE"There's been so much change," said Quang Le in Vietnamese. "This stretch here is very lonely and sad; it's not like before. We had a supermarket across the street; people come and go and shop, and now business is slow."
Le and his wife opened their Vietnamese restaurant on Argyle Street 10 years ago and said since COVID they haven't been able to bounce back on top of dealing with ongoing construction and the cost of goods going up.
"It's hard to do business. You don't make enough to cover your expenses, your business, your home, your vehicles, your children," he said. "It's currently hard for us right now in this situation."
His business is one of several now featured in a new video released by Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza. She and State Rep. Hoan Huynh went on a tour of Asia on Argyle.
It's part of Mendoza's new series to highlight businesses in immigrant corridors like Little Village and now on Argyle Street.
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"The whole point of this video is to get people out of their homes and into a fun corridor with amazing food," she said. "It's kinda like being transported to Vietnam."
Mendoza said some businesses have been hit with fears of immigration crackdowns, and she hopes by encouraging people to shop small and locally, it can make a difference.
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SIGN UP "I want to help their economy but also help people get better connected to their amazing city and highlight the many contributions of the different immigrant corridors that make Chicago such a wonderful place to visit," she said.
Mendoza said Chinatown will be featured next in her third video.
