Longtime owner Mark Thomas hopes to keep the trademark for the business and license the name as a sub-brand he can use to help cannabis startups.
Story by Block Club Chicago – by Ariel Parrella-Aureli August 2, 2024
AVONDALE — The Alley is up for sale as its owner, Mark Thomas, a legendary member of the Chicago punk community, prepares his exit from the business.
The Alley, 2620 W. Fletcher St., went up for sale this week. He is on the hunt for a new owner who will commit to carrying on the torch for the punk institution and live up to the brand’s community of inclusivity, culture and music. Axios Chicago was first to report on the sale.
The time has come for The Alley store to get new ownership due to Thomas’ mounting health issues, including the fact that walking is becoming a challenge for him, he said. But he’s not fading into the background entirely.
Thomas envisions still owning the trademark name for the company and licensing it as a sub-brand so people could open stores with The Alley name as part of another business and as a way to protect the legacy, he said. That would also set him up for ways to use The Alley name in new business ventures.
“It’s important for myself and the Thomas family to own the trademark, to make sure that whoever buys the business doesn’t distort the legacy of inclusivity and that kind of stuff,” Thomas said. “It is my wish to be here for three to five years to help with buying. It’s not like I am running away, but my abilities to do things are going to continue to diminish, according to the doctors … . I don’t ever want there to be another funeral party.”
The Alley’s funeral was a party that brought more than 400 people to the shop’s 39-year-old Lakeview location at 3328 N. Clark St. when it closed in 2016 amid the changing neighborhood and Thomas’ health issues.
After a full career owning multiple punk boutique shops, running The Alley and building a social media following, Thomas is eager to use the name and its popularity to help fund underrepresented cannabis companies.
Thomas hopes to use social equity from the business to support dispensaries of color that need a boost, he said.
Read full story in Block Club Chicago