By Marci Eden Shear
Though no proposal has yet been presented to the City Council, the new building might house a Cubs Hall of Fame museum, a multilevel parking garage, stores selling sports-related merchandise, and a food court. It would go up just northwest of the park on the triangle-shaped piece of land that’s currently occupied by a Byron’s hot dog stand, a parking lot, and a car wash. Naturally, it’s the food court that has Bou-Sliman and Giannola most concerned.
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A native of Chicago, Bou-Sliman first began making good memories for people as an actor. She studied at the Goodman School of Drama, and her first job out of school was with Second City. Over the years, she costarred on Jack and Mike and had a smattering of guest spots on Early Edition, 227, and Jake and the Fatman. She appeared in the movie Chain Reaction, and shared two scenes with Tom Hanks in Nothing in Common and one with Harrison Ford in The Fugitive.
“I spoke to some big shot, and I said, ‘Sir, I own the trademark for Big Mouth, and I own it for the category sandwiches, soups, sauces, and cookies,’” Bou-Sliman says. “It was a long phone battle for me. At first they didn’t want to have anything to do with me.”
Those customers include people on their way to and from Cubs games as well as neighborhood residents. “[People have] been very supportive, and they’ve expressed it, verbally and financially,” Giannola says. “We’ve had people say, ‘Boy, we’re so glad you guys are here. We hope you do good, because we want you to stay.’”
“It would take business away from a small place like this,” says Bou-Sliman. “I can’t afford to lose people.” On the other hand, she says, “If it’s a chain, I think people, once they compared the two, would come here. I don’t think that this neighborhood wants a chain. This is like a mom-and-pop-store kind of neighborhood.”
“My concerns are not with the players,” says actor Ron Mace. “It’s more with the stadium. I don’t think they should change it. It’s beautiful like it is. It’s like a shrine.”
