Kaage Newsstand in Edison Park will sell its last newspaper on June 29

by BRIAN NADIG
The Kaage family has owned a newsstand at Northwest Highway and Oliphant Avenue in Edison Park since 1943. On June 29 this neighborhood landmark will close.
Irvin Kaage, who was a delivery driver for one of the Chicago newspapers, purchased the newsstand in March of 1943.
“That was one of his stops, (and) he bought it for $100,” said Irvin’s grandson Mike Kaage. “He sent my dad (Irvin Jr.) to work there the next day. … It was seven degrees below zero … still a record for that day.”
Cold weather has never been a deterrent for the Kaage family, as Mike said his father taught him the importance of a good work ethic. There has been only one day in which the Kaage family did not sell a newspaper at the stand and that was due to a major snowstorm. The newsstand did eventually open that day around noon — after a lot of shoveling.
The rise of the Internet and the popularity of smartphones have negatively affected the sales of newspapers and magazines, as corner newsstands have virtually disappeared in the city.
“I could see this coming,” Kaage said, adding that nowadays many read the news on their phone. “Back in the day we used to sell 2,000 Sunday papers. … Now I’m lucky to sell 200 on a weekend.”
Also impacting business was the closing of the Arlington Race Track. Daily racing forms were once a popular item at the newsstand, said the 68-year-old Kaage.
Kaage’s father, who went to Taft High School, passed away at the age of 92 in 2020. “My father was a great man,” Mike said.
He said that the time is right for him to retire and close the business, adding that he plans to spend his days watching over his grandchildren. “There’s been change in my life. My wife Karen passed away in February.”
The newsstand will remain open through Sunday, June 29. Hours are 4 to 9 a.m. on weekdays and 5 to 10:30 a.m. on weekends. At one time the newsstand was open at night — when the dailies had evening editions.
Four generations of Kaages have worked at the newsstand. It is not clear what will happen to the newsstand structure.
A closed newsstand near Milwaukee and Central avenues is now home to a mural. A newsstand near the Nagle-Higgins intersection reportedly is open sporadically.

(photo by William Swanson)

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