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December 6, 2023

Give a special welcome to area resident, Maria Solorio, and her new coffee and snack shop, Café Lumière, located inside the Highland Park Central Metra Station. The café will be open Monday through Friday from 6:00am to 11:30am and will be selling coffee, various drinks, water and pre-packaged foods and snacks. Maria has worked in the local catering, culinary, and meal preparation industry for several years. Stop by for coffee and say hello to Maria!

1700 St. Johns Avenue - Highland Park Metra Station

Highland Park is "Home Sweet Home for the Holidays!" as holiday fun continues in Downtown Highland Park!

Save the date for the following holiday events:

December 9, 2-4 PM, Port Clinton Square: Downtown Highland Park will transform into a Candyland-themed wonderland with Lady Lollipop, Lord Licorice, the gingerbread man, holiday carolers, and a Candyland-themed scavenger hunt!

December 16, 2-4 PM, Port Clinton Square: Hot Cocoa Crawl throughout participating downtown Highland Park businesses and Gingerbread House making located and sponsored by Renaissance Place, with carolers and elves.

"Home Sweet Home for the Holidays" events in Downtown Highland Park are presented by the Downtown Highland Park Alliance. The Ravinia District Cookie & Cocoa Crawl is presented by the Ravinia District Special Service Area #17 property owners.

Visit enjoyhighlandpark for more information!

Please inform your customers that they will be able to shop local and park longer this holiday season! The City of Highland Park encourages residents and visitors to shop and dine locally this holiday season with extended parking hours from through Friday, January 5, 2024. 

Parking restrictions will be suspended at all municipal parking lots. There will be no time limit enforced at these public lots. Disabled parking, fire hydrant zones, loading zones, and on-street customer-only parking will remain in effect. Permit parking will remain in effect during these parking holidays. Employee parking restrictions will be strictly enforced.

Please note: EV charging areas will be enforced to give multiple individuals the opportunity to use the service.

A list of available on and off-street parking lots and garages can be found at www.cityhpil.com/parking. A complete list of Highland Park retail and restaurant locations can also be found at Enjoy Highland Park. 

For more information, please contact the City Manager’s Office at 847.926.1000.

New 2024 Business Registration Renewal Process

The 2024 business registration and license renewals are underway. To renew your registration, you must sign up for a new account online and complete the renewal process for your business registration and applicable license(s). Here is the link to a User Guide with detailed instructions to assist with registering your business.

To sign up for a new account, please follow the below steps:

1)     Visit: www.cityhpil.com/permitsplanslicenses

2)     Click the “Login or Register” box

3)     Scroll to the bottom of the dialogue box and follow the instructions for “Don’t have an account? Sign up.”

4)     Click the “Sign up” link and enter your information on the next screen. It’s important that you enter the email address with which you used to register your business in previous years.

Note: If you do not remember the email address you used in the past for business registration, please Contact the City via email at cmolicense@cityhpil.com or by phone at 847.926.1000 for assistance. DO NOT create a new business or new business registration/license.

5)     Once you’ve completed the steps for a new account, you should be able to access your business Dashboard. The Dashboard will show the permits and licenses you have on file with the City.

Note: If you do not see any information related to your business in the Dashboard, it’s possible you entered a different email address than the one we have on file. Please DO NOT create a new business or a new business registration/license. Contact the City via email at cmolicense@cityhpil.com or by phone at 847.926.1000 for assistance.

6)   Access your licenses on file and click the “renew” button to follow the steps for license renewal.

What happens after I create my online account?

Once you have created your online account, City staff will be notified to review the information for accuracy. After that, an invoice for payment will be generated, and you will receive an email indicating that you have an invoice ready for payment. Once payment has been received, you will receive a notification that your business registration is complete, and you will be able to view your business information and print applicable license(s) online.

For your license(s) and registration to remain in effect without interruption, you must complete your account registration and payment process by Friday, December 29, 2023, at 5:00 PM. Otherwise, you may incur a late fee(s) and delay your 2024 license(s).

Thank you for your cooperation in this effort. If you have questions regarding the renewal process, please email the City Manager’s Office at cmolicense@cityhpil.com or by phone at 847.926.1000.

Illinois EPA Electric Vehicle Rebate Program Funding

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) is announcing that the next funding round for Illinois’ Electric Vehicle (EV) Rebate Program will open Wednesday, November 1, 2023, and run through Wednesday, January 31, 2024. Individuals who purchase a new or used all-electric vehicle from an Illinois licensed dealer, meet all other eligibility requirements, and apply during the rebate cycle will be eligible for a rebate as long as funds are available. Questions about the EV Rebate Program may be submitted to EPA.EV@Illinois.gov.

Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) are located throughout the state and provide information, confidential business guidance, training, and other free resources for start-ups and existing small businesses. If you need help with a business plan, marketing, financial bookkeeping, finding grants, starting and growing a business, click HERE. To find a Center near you, click HERE. Please note that many SBDCs do provide Spanish assistance. If you need help finding an SBDC that provides Spanish assistance, please contact Diana Alfaro at diana.alfaro@illinois.gov.

Community Navigators is a support program to assist small businesses, particularly minority, women, rural, and veteran-owned businesses. They provide outreach to raise awareness on federal and state programs, and provide 1:1 technical assistance, etc. For more information, please click HERE.

Discover small business grants for every stage of your small business adventure. Grant opportunities are recommended based on your unique profile and delivered to your inbox weekly. The search for free money doesn't get any easier! In partnership with the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) and with funding from Etsy and Progressive, Hello Alice is a free online platform that helps businesses launch and grow through every step of their entrepreneurial journey. The Small Business Growth Fund provides small business owners with knowledge, funding, networking opportunities, and peer-to-peer connections with more than one million small business owners. 

Learn about Hello Alice funding opportunities.

SCORE offers in-person or virtual sessions using phone, email, or video

All sessions are free and confidential. SCORE mentors are successful business professionals, some retired, some working, from all industries and experiences.

SCORE recently added a new YouTube channel where all previously recorded webinars can be accessed.

To schedule an in-person or virtual session, visit score.org/northchicago and register to “Find a Mentor”. You will be asked to provide the nature of your business interest. Please include whether you prefer in-person or virtual mentoring (phone, email, video) and note the Highland Park Public Library even if you prefer a virtual session.

Upcoming December Webinar:

• December 16: Understanding Business Loan Proposals

Click here for more information

This newsletter is produced by the City of Highland Park's Office of Business Development. The City encourages business owners and managers to share information regarding upcoming events, promotions or news for possible inclusion in the City's marketing modalities, including The Weekender, Enjoy Highland Park, and social media. Please send these items to the City via email to: businessdevelopment@cityhpil.com. The City reserves the right to edit and/or filter submissions. 

For general business inquiries and assistance, contact Business Development Manager Carolyn Hersch at chersch@cityhpil.com or 847.926.1027.