Heun: Recapping 2014's highs and lows in the Tri Cities

Based on my perception and a “feel” for what is going on in the Tri-Cities and surrounding area, “Talk of the Town” turned a bit of a corner in 2014 in a significant area: There were as many or more items about new businesses and restaurants opening than about those closing.

To be sure, there was a fair number of disappointing closings again, but the uptick in new stores and restaurants was better than in recent years.

Mostly, the column served its purpose again — bringing some attention to the names of a lot of local people, places and events. By design, the column tends to share far more positive news, since there are plenty of other places in the newspaper to hear about disappointing political mudslinging, gridlock and failures, or crime and unnecessary violence.

But a lot of good things go on around here. There is, after all, many reasons we like living in this part of the Fox Valley.

A lot went on in 2014, but if you missed some things, or have forgotten by this point, here's my annual year-end roundup of the things we were all talking about in this column.

Not the best start:

The year started like the past four or five, with a story about a longtime business finding it hard to stay alive. This time it was a niche business: Angel Kisses, a religious-themed store in St. Charles.

Owner Michael Kulpin said the rugged winter weather, construction on Main Street and general fading interest in religious items were working against him. He was right. The store closed a few months later.

In addition, plenty of former retail locations were staying empty for an extended period of time. They included the original Aldi grocery store in Batavia, and Vertical Drop on Main Street in St. Charles.

‘In St. Charles'

The interest generated in St. Charles declaring it now had an official song titled “In St. Charles” by Jim Masters led to a video displaying all St. Charles has to offer, with the song as its background music. David Phyfer, producer of Stage Fright Productions, made the video for the St. Charles Downtown Partnership.

Right up the alley:

Geneva History Center executive director Terry Emma had a great idea to make the alley between the history center and retail businesses more appealing to those visiting Third Street.

The result is an attractive walkway with dedicated pavers and a cool fireplace near the street for the winter months. It also provides an easy way to get to the new Patten House restaurant.

Love for Ukraine:

The adventures of St. Charles architect Mike Dixon during his Peace Corps stint in Ukraine made it into the column a few times in the past three years, but this year was most significant because he had to flee the country when unrest with Russia reached dangerous levels.

He later went back to visit, since he didn't get a chance to say goodbye to the many friends and colleagues he established in the country.

Geneva new spots:

In addition to the aforementioned Patten House, Geneva also welcomed Nobel House and Barrel + Rye for diners, and a Kilwins for those with a sweet tooth. So far, all have been popular locations.

New name, new life?

Because of its potential to become something truly great, or the chance that it could still fail miserably, the renovation and makeover at Charlestowne Mall in St. Charles is likely the story line with the most curious observers.

Owners of The Quad, which is its new name, are hoping a significant redo of the entire mall and surrounding area will give new life to a major retail parcel that had fallen on hard, hard times.

Goodbye ‘Big Red':

Batavia parents and students said goodbye to popular teacher Kathy Hubbard and her equally popular “Big Red” chair in her HC Storm Elementary school classroom. She taught at the school for 34 years, or about the entire history of HC Storm.

“Big Red” ended up with a family that won it through an auction of the teacher's items.

Acosta's expands:

Acosta's Consignment in St. Charles expanded its reach by opening another location in Batavia, this one at the former Ethan Allen Gallery building on Batavia Avenue. It gave the shop a much larger presence.

No Soup for you:

One of the original health food and nutrition retail spots in the area, Soup to Nuts, closed its doors in Geneva. The spot in the retail strip along State Street became a dog grooming and training location.

In the meantime, Soup to Nuts owner JR Carmany intended to keep her Healthwise holistic services business operating from her home.

Wonderful suppers:

The story about area churches offering free community dinners on a monthly basis continued.

The largest and most successful continued to unfold at Geneva United Methodist Church, which celebrated five years of offering its Third Tuesday Suppers.

It was a concept that came about as a way to help those struggling with the difficult economy or those who are home alone or have to fend for themselves. All of those reasons still hold, but it has simply become an occasion to gather with family and friends, or to meet new friends.

New look at the Inn:

Fishermen's Inn in Elburn reopened with a banquet hall and quickly became an excellent option for wedding receptions, corporate parties or other celebrations.

Its new look was a pleasant surprise to those who had enjoyed the location as a fine restaurant for decades and had hoped for years that it could reopen in some fashion.

Keeping ‘Talking':

Keep the good ideas for “Talk” items coming to my email during 2015. Together, we can keep close tabs on what's going on around us. As the Tri-Cities have proved year after year, there is no shortage of interesting people, places and events.

Have a fun and safe New Year!

dheun@sbcglobal.net