February 27th, 2008 07:00pm
Deborah Austin
A few weekends ago, when planning a school-related trip into Chicago with some friends and considering what stores to visit in our few hours of shopping time, I had my heart set on finding an extra-warm down-filled coat I’d seen in L.L. Bean’s catalog. But I was disappointed to discover there was no L.L. Bean store in Chicago. In fact, there was no L.L. Bean store anywhere outside the Northeastern U.S.
Evidently I was just eight months early.
The Maine-based outdoor gear and apparel outfitter announced this week that it plans to open its first retail store outside the Northeast this September, and it will be in the Chicago area. The new 30,000-square-foot store is planned for The Arboretum of South Barrington, a retail, dining and entertainment center being developed at the northeastern corner of Route 59 and Higgins Road in — you guessed it — South Barrington.
The Chicago area store will be L.L. Bean’s 10th outside of Maine. The company also plans to open retail stores in New York and Pennsylvania in 2008, said Carolyn Beem, manager of public affairs. It would like to have three or four stores in the Chicago area in the next two or three years, she said.
February 24th, 2008 09:19am
Deborah Austin
Off-price retailer T.J. Maxx will be moving to Machesney Park in March and closing its East State Street store in Rockford.
T.J. Maxx plans to open its new Machesney Park store, in Machesney Crossing at 1009 W. Lane Road, on March 13, with grand opening hours of 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. The current T.J. Maxx Location, at 6363 E. State St. in Rockford, is scheduled to close March 9.
The new Machesney Park store will carry a larger accessories department than a typical T.J. Maxx store — including handbags, jewelry and luggage — according to a press release from the company.
T.J. Maxx, based in Framingham, Mass., has more than 800 stores in 48 states.
First Rockford Group is the developer of Machesney Crossing, a retail complex at the southeast corner of Illinois 251 and Illinois 173.  Retailers began opening in its main 220,000-square-foot inline building in October and November 2007.Â
February 17th, 2008 06:01am
Deborah Austin
Heavenly Ham in Rockford and the Rock River Valley Pantry have joined together to bring special ham dinners to families in the community this Easter. This program hopes to provide meals to 2,000 families in need this Easter in the Rockford area.
Individuals and businesses can participate by donating to the program. For a donation of $25, Heavenly Ham will put together a platter/basket of food that will consist of one pound of ham, two pounds of a side dish, 12 rolls, and a pie. The meal feeds four people. The Rock River Valley Pantry will distribute these dinners to local families that may otherwise go without a meal this Easter.
Businesses that choose one of the sponsorship programs will be recognized in local print media and have their logos on the outside of the boxed suppers they made possible. Members of the community may also donate for a complete meal to a single family ($25) or to four families ($100).
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are more than 33,000 people living in Winnebago County - including more than 12,000 children under the age of 18 - that fall below poverty guidelines.
Orders are being taken now through March 10. To participate, stop by either Heavenly Ham at 7451 East State Stree, Rockford, or the Rock River Valley Pantry at 1080 Short Elm Street, Rockford. For more information, contact the Rock River Valley Pantry at (815) 965-2485 or Heavenly Ham at (815) 395-1426.
February 11th, 2008 12:16pm
Deborah Austin
A new service from online mall search site NearbyNow gives shoppers a way to find and reserve gifts at CherryVale Mall using their mobile phones.
Most of the mall’s retailers are now on board with the service, said Cindy Hindes, CherryVale’s marketing director. Shoppers can log on to www.nearbynow.com and choose the “product search” button to navigate through the process — or on to CherryVale Mall’s Web site at www.shopcherryvalemall.com and choose the “product search” button in the upper right hand corner of the homepage.
Or, even with standard text messaging service from a cell phone, they can text CV to 632729 to connect directly to CherryVale Mall’s stores, receiving a response showing a mobile menu. The menu allows mobile phone users to search by product, stores, sales or another shopping center.
For instance, said Hindes, a shopper can type in “diamond heart necklace” as a text message on a mobile phone, then see all the stores in the mall that carry such a necklace, look at prices, and then reserve a necklace at a particular store to be picked up later.
February 8th, 2008 03:20am
Deborah Austin
Rockford-based Colorlab Custom Cosmetics is holding the official launch of its first U.S. retail stores — in Chicago — on Feb. 12. This includes its flagship store at 857 W. Armitage, as well as the cosmetics counter at Macy’s at 111 N. State St. The company also has a cosmetics counter at Macy’s in San Francisco at Union Square.
The U.S. retail locations opened in December 2007, but this month marks the official launch event, said Justine Markese, senior brand manager for Colorlab.
The company, founded in 1996 by Mary Swaab, launched retail cosmetics counters in Paris in 2005, and in London in 2006.
Colorlab cosmetics are customized at the counter for each individual customer, by hue and formulation, like a cosmetics lab at the counter. Because they’re customized on-site with the customer, they’re not available online but only by purchasing them in person, said Markese.
Before the Chicago and San Francisco stores, the only other way people could get the cosmetics in the U.S. was by appointment at the company’s headquarters in Rockford at 1112 5th Ave.  They still can do that by calling 815-965-2001 to to make an appointment.
While the company has plans to roll out retail locations in other markets as well, “we were very happy we got to start in our own backyard in Chicago,” said Markese. “It was important to start (the U.S. retail enterprise) in Chicago, because it was close, and we could hold its hand.”
January 30th, 2008 08:41pm
Deborah Austin
A new nail spa has opened in Machesney Park along the Illinois 173 corridor.  Q Nails Spa is at 1405 West Lane Road (Illinois 173) in Orlando Center, just across Orlando Street from Machesney Crossing.
Q Nails Spa has six manicure stations and eight pedicure chairs. It is owned by John Nguyen.
 Orlando Center and Machesney Crossing both are retail centers built by First Rockford Group, Inc.
January 24th, 2008 12:03pm
Deborah Austin
Ricotta’s Automotive, which has been at 325 Walnut St. in Rockford for 32 years, will be moving north sometime this summer. Owners and brothers Tom and Joe Ricotta, who started the company, are moving to a new location on Torque Road in Machesney Park, on the south side of Rockford Speedway near the intersection of Forest Hills Road and 173.
The new location will be much larger than the downtown Rockford location.
Ricotta’s Automotive handles automotive repair, and automotive electrical and air conditioning work, among other services. It also specializes in working on Corvettes.
January 16th, 2008 08:29pm
Deborah Austin
Twenty-three bar and restaurant owners in Rockford’s downtown River District are promoting each other in a new campaign to draw customers to the downtown area. The weekly promotion, called “The District Wednesday Nights,” includes food and drink specials  –  as well as live entertainment at some of the establishments. It started Wed., Jan. 16 and will run indefinitely.
 The weekly promotion is sponsored by Lamonica Beverages, Rolling Rock, Stela Artois and Jack Daniel’s. While “The District Wednesday Nights” food specials vary by location, all-day drink specials on Wednesdays are $2 Jack-and-Cokes, $1.50 Rolling Rocks and $2 Stella Artois.
The places participating: 505, Bar 3, Big Cities Lounge, Brio, Cafe Greco, Capri, Chestnut Street Bar & Restaurant, Chocolate by Daniel, Deli Italia, Irish Rose Restaurant, J Bears, Kiwi Cafe and Bar, Krypto Music Lounge, Kuma’s, Mary’s Place, Oasis, Octane, Office Niteclub and Show Lounge,  Paragon on State, Rue Marche, Serrano’s Mexican Kitchen, Swilligan’s Pub and Vinny’s on Block 5.
The promotion has been planned by the Downtown Rockford Restaurant Bar Association, an affiliate of the River District Association.
January 9th, 2008 03:50pm
Deborah Austin
Buffalo Wild Wings soon will have a restaurant in Rockford. The chain is buying the rights to leases for eight Don Pablo’s Mexican Kitchen locations around the nation, including the one in Rockford at 6275 E. State St. The deal is expected to close by the end of January, and it will take six months to renovate the restaurant.
“We had been targeting the Rockford area,” Buffalo spokesman Matt Brokl said. “We think this will be a fantastic location for our brand.”
Buffalo Wild Wings bought the leases from Don Pablo’s parent company, Georgia-based Avado Brands, through a bankruptcy auction. Buffalo Wild Wings is a Minneapolis-based chain with 489 locations in 37 states. It specializes in buffalo-style chicken wings and a sports-bar atmosphere. Currently, the nearest one is in DeKalb.
January 5th, 2008 02:56pm
Deborah Austin
A store selling furniture from the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s has opened in downtown Rockford.  The store, called Nest, is located at 218 E. State St. Â
Owner Christopher Furney said his goal is to provide furniture that “offers a fun, colorful interpretation” of the designs from those decades. He said he gets customers from as far away as Chicago, through some of his offerings on Craigslist.
Furney grew up in Rockford and graduated from Boylan High School in 1987, then moved away from the area. About 18 months ago, after working for years as a fashion photographer in Chicago and New York and maintaining apartments in both cities, he moved back to Rockford to be closer to his family.
“I decided it was time for a change,” he said. “I was living out of my suitcase, and it was not that much fun anymore.”
Furney said he’s always had a passion for mid-century furniture, and some of his current stock is furniture he’d used for props as a photographer. He picks up other furniture at auctions. While he is still gearing up and stocking up, he did manage to open around Dec. 12, just before the holidays. He especially had been interested in holiday shoppers who were college students home on break, Furney said — “so young people could come back from college and see, ‘Yeah, there are some cool things in Rockford!’”
Nest is open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
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