Q Why has the once-bustling Yak-Zies at 506 West Diversey Parkway been closed?

A Yak-Zies was among the first taverns in Lakeview when Kenneth Miller opened its doors as sole proprietor in 1966. The string of watering holes that sprang up as the neighborhood gentrified inspired a 1983 law against two bars being within 400 feet of each other; Yak-Zies is just steps from Galway Bay (500 W Diversey Pkwy). It’s the latest hurdle in what’s been Miller’s family’s yearlong pursuit to get their dad’s business license transferred to them after his death last August. “Yak-Zies is in a very unusual circumstance, but I’ve seen this happen before,” says Efrat Stein, spokeswoman for Chicago’s Department of Business Affairs and Licensing. “They can reopen after they qualify for a grandfather clause by proving they opened before 1983,” she says. Miller’s son-in-law and current co-owner Joe Spagnoli claims they’ve shown proof with city files that date back to 1982 and have been waiting for a response from the city since May. He says more than 200 neighbors and bar regulars have sent letters voicing their support of the effort to reopen. When we asked if he was surprised by the community outpouring, Spagnoli asked us a question right back: “Do you know how many people met their spouses here?” Apparently a lot.

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