He must own the building...
So nice to see something else set in Chicago...
The developer is after the building and asking Judd Hirsch's character to sell. So he must own the whole building. That explains how he's living even if the shop is dead. He must have some rentals upstairs. If that building is in Chicago's Lake View, Ravenswood or Edgewood neighborhoods, the property is worth a lot. My parents built a two bedroom bungalow in 1956 for $35,000 that sold in the 80's for $200,000 and was just turned into a two story and sold for almost a million dollars.
The show, I think, has potential. I do so adore Judd Hirsch.