Englewood Whole Foods saga shows why neighborhood investment is sometimes about more than profit

A customer walks out of Whole Foods at Englewood Square in April, after the company announced that the store would close. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)

Just before the sun was up one recent early morning, I drove to 832 W. 63rd Street on the South Side, pulled into a parking space in the empty lot and got out to take a look.

There were no lights and no activity. The now-nameless building sat lifeless, its signage removed. The scene was dead, except for the sounds of passing cars on the streets nearby.