Prairie Town Center | Prairie Town Center Buyer Keeps Alive Three Decades’ Worth of Memories

OAK LAWN, IL –  Prairie Town Center in Oak Lawn attracts buyers for many reasons. For some it’s convenient to nearby work. For others it’s the easy access to downtown Chicago via the Metra train stop one block away. Others like being in a newly-constructed building and having a mini-neighborhood of stores, restaurants and other amenities right outside their door.

But for Nevin Arif, buying a home at Prairie Town Center means having a home that overlooks the location where she and her late husband started a business, raised a family and became much beloved figures in the community.

For more than 30 years, Nevin and Veli Arif operated Veli’s Kofy Kup at 5253 W. 95th Street in Oak Lawn. They made the coffee shop a neighborhood institution, the type of place where customers were known by name and Veli always asked about their families and how work was going.

Nevin said her husband loved the Kofy Kup. “He worked from four in the morning to three in the afternoon seven days a week and never complained. He knew all the customers by name. He was a very good businessman and was known all over Oak Lawn. Veli loved being there and talking to his customers. Our three children worked in the restaurant. I cooked, cleaned and waited tables. We had a wonderful time there.”

The coffee shop closed in 2004. Two years later Veli died unexpectedly of a heart attack. He was 79.

However the happy memories of their shop on 95th Street have comforted Nevin, so much so that when she decided to sell her home she bought a condo at Prairie Town Center, overlooking the site where Veli’s Kofy Kup stood.

“My house was getting too big for me. I wanted to downsize, but still stay in the area,” Nevin explains. “I purchased a two-bedroom, two-bath condo at Prairie Town Center and will hopefully be moving in May or June. I can’t wait.”

Nevin appreciates the proximity of the Metra train stop for eMighty-Site® | Mighty-Cart® by Orbit Media Studios, Incasy travel to downtown Chicago, as well as the shopping choices on 95th Street just outside Prairie Town Center’s doors.

But most important, Nevin Arif is perhaps Oak Lawn’s biggest booster. She loves the Oak Lawn area and wouldn’t dream of leaving. “It’s such a nice area and a nice community filled with wonderful people. Every time I go to the Jewel, I see our old customers and we have a nice visit. I love Oak Lawn. I will never leave.”

Since launching sales in late 2006, phase one of Prairie Town Center is more than 85 percent sold, with occupancy set for spring 2008. The second phase of Prairie Town Center recently held its grand opening weekend and is slated for occupancy in spring 2009.

At Prairie Town Center, homes range in size from 844 square feet to 1,461 square feet and are one bedroom and one-and-half-baths, two bedroom and two baths, or three bedrooms and two baths. Prices range from $185,900 to $327,900 (prices subject to change without notice). The price includes one heated, indoor parking space and an individual storage locker. Exterior parking is also available.

The Prairie Town Center and Arbor Court Information Center is located at 5239 W. 95th Street in Oak Lawn. Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; and Sunday, 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information, please call (708) 857-2900.

Click here to visit the Prairie Town Center website!