The Merchandise Mart’s furniture showrooms have made it a center of the design world for generations.
Two-thirds of its rentable space was once devoted to showrooms, with the remainder used by traditional offices. But as Chicago’s economy shifted, and many suburban offices migrated downtown, the Mart changed with the times. It just completed the second phase of a roughly $75 million makeover, adding a 15-room conference center, restaurants, a new fitness club, along with a riverfront park, all amenities prized by office tenants.
But the company wanted space not just for industry insiders attending events such as NeoCon, but a ground-floor retail operation for everyday customers. And today, the streets outside Miller’s new home are often filled with shoppers visiting new stores nearby, including Patagonia. Developer Sterling Bay completed Fulton Market’s 345 N. Morgan St., a 200,000-square-foot building, last September, and found its 13-foot, floor-to-ceiling windows were appealing to companies looking to show off products, according to Austin Lusson, vice president of leasing.