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Il Poggiolo Owner Brings Many Flavors to Downtown Hinsdale

Pete Burdi opened the popular Hinsdale dining spot in 2009; he also owns nearby Nabuki and plans to open another downtown restaurant later this year.

Peter Burdi wasn't always in the restaurant business.  From 2001 to 2006, Burdi was a real estate investor who specialized in flipping commercial properties. One of the properties he bought was Schweidler & Mewherter, a stationery store located at 8 E. 1st Street in downtown Hinsdale. "I was looking for a good commercial space and thought it was a beautiful building," he said. "It's a [Hinsdale architect R. Harold] Zook building; I immediately thought it would make a great restaurant one day." After six months, Burdi decided the business wasn't sustainable and sought out some local restaurateurs in the hopes of fulfilling his vision of opening a restaurant in the 1st Street space. In 2009, Burdi opened Il Poggiolo with silent partner Jerry…

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Joe O'Donnell

1:35 pm on Friday, April 27, 2012

Do folks think Il Poggiolo is going to be a Hinsdale staple for awhile?   more ›

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Sweet Ali's Brings Gluten-Free Treats to Hinsdale

Ali Graeme opened Sweet Ali's Bakery after learning that she and her son were both allergic to gluten.

Sweet Ali's Gluten Free Bakery in Hinsdale may be a thriving business now, but it owes its start to a young boy. Five years ago, Ali Graeme's son was diagnosed with food allergies. Eventually, Graeme learned that her son had celiac disease, which meant that he was allergic to gluten. Once Graeme's son had been diagnosed, she realized that the health problems she herself had been struggling with could also be attributed to the allergy. "I had celiac [disease] and was misdiagnosed for all those years," Graeme said.  Because gluten is found in wheat, barley, rye, and some oats, many foods are off limits to those suffering from celiac disease, including most bread and other baked goods. When Graeme began adjusting her family's diet, she had a …

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Toni Patisserie & Cafe Expands to Chicago, Remains Hinsdale Staple

The village's favorite sweets shop has been serving customers in downtown Chicago since September.

Toni Marie Cox has been serving up cookies, cakes, and other treats to Hinsdale residents for 17 years.  When Hinsdale shop America's Bread Basket closed in 1994, Cox, a former executive pastry chef at Chicago’s Mayfair Regent Hotel and Le Ciel Bleu, took over the space and opened a patisserie specializing in French pastries. Toni Marie's Sweets and Savories, now Toni Patisserie & Cafe, has been a staple in the Hinsdale community ever since. Cox initially sold mostly pastries and other desserts, but eventually expanded to cafe fare as well. "The support of the people in the community led us to adding to what we're selling," she said.  Cox's shop has evolved into a cafe where customers can sit and enjoy coffee and conversation. Toni also …

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Upscale Resale Boutique to Open in Hinsdale

Frill will be owner Beverly Moran's second consignment store; she also owns Swap Shop Resale Boutique in Glen Ellyn.

Beverly Moran has always liked shopping in consignment stores. "I've gone to resale shops since I was 16," Moran said. However, it wasn't until a year-and-a-half ago that Moran decided to open up Swap Shop Resale Boutique, an upscale consignment shop in Glen Ellyn. Now, Moran is preparing to open a second store in Hinsdale, called Frill, which is expected to open at 49 S. Washington St. on March 15. As soon as Moran opened her Glen Ellyn location, she decided that her second store should be located in Hinsdale. "There's nothing [like Frill] out this way," Moran said. "Hinsdale needs this." Moran and the staff at Frill are very specific about the merchandise they take. She said all her items are "upscale" and in really good shape. Most …

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Trumeau Opens Interior Design Showroom in Hinsdale

The design and decor business moved to its 19 W. Chicago Ave. address from Naperville to be closer to Chicago.

Carmine Cerasi has always had an eye for design. Though he has a background in high-end clothing design, Cerasi's focus is on the home at Trumeau, his interior design and decor company that recently opened its new showroom in Hinsdale. "I fell in love with interiors," he said. Cerasi works at Trumeau with fellow designer Greta van Westrienen; the two have collaborated for 14 years. Trumeau was based in Naperville for 11 years, but recently Cerasi and van Westrienen decided to move to Hinsdale to be closer to Chicago and a downtown train station. Cerasi called the move "user-friendly" and hopes it will allow easier access for Trumeau's clients in the city while attracting new clients in the area. "[Hinsdale and the surrounding area] has a …

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Joe O'Donnell

1:03 pm on Friday, February 24, 2012

Anyone out there in Patchland been to Trumeau since it moved into Hinsdale? If so, what was your experience?   more ›

Stationery Shop Celebrates 21st Year in Hinsdale

Sass-N-Class owner Mary Beth Copeland was a store employee before she became its owner.

Sass-N-Class has seen its fair share of changes during two decades in Hinsdale.  The stationery store was first located on Washington Street, where its initial owner sold gag gifts, cards, and balloons. The shop eventually moved to the 1st Street space currently occupied by Splendor, and has been located for the last several years across the street at 19 W. 1st St.—first in the basement, and now at street level.  Sass-N-Class' building is around 100 years old, and was once occupied by a mortician. (The handles on the front door are actually handles from a coffin.) The interior highlights many of the building’s homey features, including a fireplace. Mary Beth Copeland is the store's third owner and has headed Sass-N-Class for the past …

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J. Jordan Homes Opens Office in Renovated Hinsdale House

Julie Laux might not have the typical homebuilding background, but her start-up has grown into a thriving company.

Julie Laux may be the owner of a successful home building company now, but it wasn't her first career. Laux, whose J. Jordan Homes recently opened an office in Hinsdale, is a CPA who attended the Kellogg School of Management. She has worked for Ernst & Young, was the CFO of Farley's Candy Company, and also worked in private investing. In 1997, Laux moved from Chicago to Hinsdale and built her first house with the help of Nathan Curcio as her job superintendant. She bought her family's current home on County Line Road about seven years ago, and again worked with Curcio on the project. "After I did the house, I thought, 'I could do this [as a career],'" Laux said. She sold two projects off of her first home, and clients soon came to her by …

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Joe O'Donnell

11:46 am on Friday, January 27, 2012

Anyone out there made a visit to Julie's Hinsdale "home-office"? Sounds very cool.   more ›

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Bukés Salon and Spa Grows with Clients and Employees

Bukés has been in Clarendon Hills for 15 years and in that time has amassed a large following loyal customers from around Chicago as well as educating some top stylists from the bottom up.

Buké Batoya has been in Clarendon Hills for 15 years, but like the industry in which she practices, there has been many changes to Batoya's salon over the years. As Batoya celebrates 15 years owning Bukés Salon and Spa, she can look back to when the business was little more than a few chairs and some loyal clients, and also on how quickly things changed. “Since I walked in we haven't had a slow day,” Batoya said during an interview at her salon. “We've increased business 20 to 30 percent every years that we've been open.” The salon has also grown in size, now occupying the entire building at 151 Ann St.—upstairs and down—where it once had just one small store front. Bukés offers services in hair, nails, makeup, skincare, massage and …

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Belluomini's Keeping the Door Open and the Beer Cold

The corner bar in Hinsdale has over seven decades of operation under its belt, but lean times and changing legislation have taken a toll.

Belluomini's Spirits & Grill in Hinsdale has certainly proved its staying power. With nearly 75 years at the corner of 55th and Madison streets, the neighborhood tavern is older than many of its clients. Paul Belluomini is the current owner of the bar, which was started by his grandfather in 1937 and has bounced around the family ever since. Paul took over in 1991 and said he grew up in the house next door. Grandfather Belluomini—who passed away in 1949—was a native of Hinsdale and worked at the power plant that was once in town, the railroad that ran through it, and the meat counter of some local stores long since razed or renamed. Belluomini's isn't large, but keeps its guests happy with standard bar fare and cold beer, domestic and …

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Local Stationary Store Stays Relevant in Changing Times

While the world steps away from paper communication, Ashley's in Clarendon Hills can bring style and uniqueness when an e-mail just won't do.

The world is becoming a vastly paperless place, as intangible communication has reduced letter writing to something that now seems as antiquated as cave drawings and has many opting for more informal methods of updating one another. However, on both the end of the sender and the receiver there are still plenty who appreciate the personal touch that is best delivered signed and sealed. At Ashley’s Custom Stationary & More, 22 S. Prospect Ave. in Clarendon Hills, Ashley Killpack has rolled with the times, as the economy and changing norms pose challenges to her business. “There are many more 40- through 70-year-olds sending out cards than there are 20- and 30-year-olds” Killpack said. “I've had to readjust in the last several years. I also …

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