Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Shane Johnson says he thinks The Hills, at the corner of Prospect and Park in downtown Clarendon Hills, will become a go-to spot for locals and a destination for nonresidents, as well.
It took a little longer than Shane Johnson expected, but the Clarendon Hills resident’s local cafe is finally open for business. The Hills Cafe & Pizza had its first day of business at the corner of Prospect and Park avenues Dec. 22, after building problems delayed the opening that was originally set for December 2011. “Every time we would try to open up a wall, we’d find a problem. Every time we opened a ceiling, we’d find a problem,” said Johnson, who was also sidelined for several months last year due to a health scare. Throughout 2012, Johnson, who serves on the Clarendon Hills Special Events Committee, would be asked by residents when they could expect the diner doors to open. “Every time I came downtown I’d get stopped,” he said. Now…
Friday, January 4, 2013
Two sisters and their mom operate Vintage Confections, which ships hard candy all over the world but only recently opened its first retail location in the former Jennycakes space downtown.
Sugar, water and corn syrup are all one really needs to make hard candy, but there’s a lot more that goes into it at Vintage Confections. “It’s an old-fashioned process that we have updated to current times,” said co-owner Heather Kelly, who with sister Cheryl Carr opened in November the custom-made lollipop business’ first commercial space at 102 S. Prospect Ave. in Clarendon Hills. “We put a lot of spin on it.” That “spin,” which shows up in Vintage Confections’ translucent lollipops that at their core feature pictures of planets, cartoon characters, even the Hinsdale Central Red Devils logo, has gotten the Darien natives’ business international attention. Kelly started Vintage Confections in 2008, making different kinds candy in, and …
Thursday, December 6, 2012
In addition to serving 100 percent Mexican coffee, Alejandro García-Palacios hopes to help his customers appreciate the growing and roasting process, and "bring coffee culture closer to the consumer."
Alejandro García-Palacios talks about coffee like it is art. “The beauty about coffee is that there are no written rules,” said the owner of the brand new Café La Fortuna at 46 Village Pl. in Hinsdale. “Everybody has their own tastes; everybody has their own techniques of growing, their own techniques of processing … their own roasting techniques, their own blends.” And while most of us think little beyond the caffeine jolt of our morning Joe, it’s clear talking to García-Palacios that he hopes to spread his knowledge and appreciation for the coffee bean to all of his new downtown Hinsdale customers. A third-generation coffee grower, exporter and roaster, García-Palacios moved to Burr Ridge in 2006 with his wife Angela and the couple’s …
Monday, November 19, 2012
With classic candies and a stable of regular customers, the family-owned newsstand is has managed to keep its old-fashioned model in a high-tech world.
Friday, November 16, 2012
With classic candies and a stable of regular customers, the family-owned newsstand is has managed to keep its old-fashioned model in a high-tech world.
When a business is around for 59 years, it means it has regulars. “Every day like clockwork,” Hinsdale News Agency manager Penny Miller describes visits from the store’s frequent customers, who visit 24 E. Hinsdale Ave. to pick up a newspaper, a pack of cigarettes, or maybe just a candy bar. The downtown Hinsdale newsstand has been serving the community since owner Danette Boniecki’s grandfather, Daniel Spinazola Sr., opened the store in October 1953. Daniel Spinazola Jr., Boniecki’s father and 60-year Hinsdale resident, ran the stand for many years before passing it on to his daughter, who has worked shifts since she was a kid living in Hinsdale. “Back years ago we were open until 10 at night,” Boniecki said, explaining that the employees…
Friday, October 12, 2012
Jennifer Grapes said she wants to take what she learned during her 13-year professional career and give Hinsdale a "premier dance academy."
Eight months after deciding she would open a dance school in Hinsdale, Jennifer Grapes is 10 days away from putting on her first classes. “I’m excited to see my vision come to life,” Grapes said Thursday morning, sitting behind the reception desk of the new Hinsdale Dance Academy & Boutique at 414 Chestnut Street. Classes at Hinsdale Dance Academy (HDA) are set to begin Oct. 22 and will include all different genres, from hip-hop, to tap, to of course ballet. Grapes, the school’s director and co-owner, is a ballerina who began her professional career dancing with the Albany Berkshire Ballet at age 19 and has since performed with numerous ballet companies and at venues in Europe, Australia and North America. She retired as a professional …
Monday, July 9, 2012
Owner Tiffany Shriver's shop started as a women's shoe store, but has evolved into quite a bit more over the last few years.
When Tigers & Tulips' owner Tiffany Shriver bought the building that currently houses her store five years ago, she intended to use the decade of experience she'd gained working in shoes at a boutique and a Nordstrom in Connecticut, among other locations, to open her own shoe store. Initially, she focused on selling women's high heels, with some children's shoes and gifts in the back of the store. Now, "we've become the largest independent shoe store in the western suburbs," Shriver said. Shriver has maintained a successful business in this tough economy by continuing to adapt. She has kept business booming in her store by expanding her merchandise to include toys, games, gifts, and other products in order to suit her customers. "We …
Friday, June 22, 2012
Hinsdale native John Bohnen and his wife, Penny, opened their downtown real estate office in 1992.
John Bohnen was born and raised in Hinsdale. He attended Monroe School, Hinsdale Junior High, and Hinsdale Central, and was a Little League star at Peirce Park. According to his daughter, County Line Properties' vice president and broker Courtney Bohnen Stach, "He lived the 'Hinsdale Dream' as a little boy, so he wanted to give that to other people." Bohnen and his wife, Penny, opened County Line Properties in 1992. Prior to opening their own real estate office, Penny had worked as a second-grade teacher at Walker School, then moved on to a real estate career at Adams & Myers, while John worked in high-rise construction in Chicago. In addition to John's firsthand knowledge of Hinsdale and its traditions, Bohnen Stach called …
Friday, June 1, 2012
The wine shop's owners, Ray and Kathy Zuniga, turned their passion for wine into a thriving business.
For Ray and Kathy Zuniga, the path to opening The Village Cellar was a long one. The Zunigas have been involved in a number of businesses over the course of their marriage, including various retail stores and White Hen franchises, but their passion for wine finally caught up to them. Although Kathy has been a wine lover her entire life, she converted Ray only 12 years ago, during their 20th anniversary trip to Napa Valley. It was then that the couple began the journey that would culminate about 10 years later with the opening of The Village Cellar in the space formerly occupied by A Taste of Vino at 24 W. Chicago Ave. Ray said that visiting those California wineries, particularly those that were family-run, inspired him to turn a hobby …
Friday, May 11, 2012
The party store recently relocated to Hinsdale from Clarendon Hills.
Mary Anne Spidalette and her daughter, Ann Sobczak, ran into a dilemma several years ago when Sobczak was trying to plan her daughter's birthday party: they couldn't find a birthday party venue that catered to young girls. So Spidalette and Sobczak took matters into their own hands and opened up Butterfly Garden in Clarendon Hills, a party shop that specialized in birthdays for elementary school-aged girls. At the time, "[my daughter] told me that she thought we could do this really well," Spidalette said. The shop was indeed a success at two different locations in Clarendon Hills for six years, but Spidalette and Sobczak decided to make a change by moving their business to 9 E. 1st St. in Hinsdale about a year-and-a-half ago. "We decided…
heidi swatscheno
12:38 pm on Saturday, November 17, 2012
Martin Was a wonderful addition to the news agency and he made going there worth it. he knew everyone and never had anything but a smile on his face he sure is missed. more ›