The family business of C&J Auto Parts is closing after over 65 years at its current location at 3200 S. Archer Ave. This Saturday, February 3, will be the last chance for customers to shop on the final day of C&J's going-out-of-business sale, ending the work that ran through four generations of the Zalon family.
"It's bittersweet," said business owner Arnold Zalon, who spent much of his early childhood growing up above the family auto shop on Archer Avenue. "We've had so many good customers and made so many friends, including some employees who have been with us for 20 or 30 years."
Erwin Zalon and his son Arnold stand in front of C&J Auto Parts in this photo circa late 1970s.Zalon started working at C&J in 1976 with his dad, Erwin, who himself had started the business in 1946 with his own father, Nathan. Zalon's son Andy has been working alongside his dad, including through the shuttering of the business. "It's been a real family atmosphere," Zalon said.
The large, multi-lot property has new pending ownership lined up, Zalon said, with a significant residential and commercial development in the pipeline. According to developer plans submitted to the City of Chicago, the build would include dozens of new residential units and several new commercial spaces, as well as outdoor and indoor parking.
The proposal includes two one-story commercial buildings; two mixed-use, four story buildings with first floor commercial space, 24 dwelling units and accessory parking; and a mixed-use, four story building with first floor commercial space, 24 dwelling units and 32 parking spaces.
HMC Realty & Management Co. of Bridgeport is lined up to market the property and has already started pre-construction sales on the one-, two- and three-bedroom residential units, with construction expected to start in Spring 2018. Touted amenities include hardwood floors, nine-foot ceilings and options for indoor deeded parking.
The C&J property's change from a storied auto parts lot to a contemporary development is just one project reflecting an upswing in nearby development in the McKinley Park neighborhood: Demolition on a property is underway just across the street from C&J, and a few blocks away, upmarket townhomes rise at West 34th and South Justine streets in a development also marketed by HMC Realty.
An artist's conception of the pending development on the C&J Auto Parts property shows the new commercial and residential buildings. Roughly translated from Chinese, the development's name is Sky River Residences.
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