New Elgin shop offers pastries, sandwiches and more
The co-owner of a new eatery in downtown Elgin said the journey that started with selling homemade pastries at a flea market has been a whirlwind but also a blessing.
Sweets & More opened July 4 at 59 Douglas Ave., across from city hall, in the spot that was occupied by a Quiznos sandwich shop for years and most recently by a Mexican restaurant that closed last year.
The store, which offers a variety of pastries but also sandwiches, baked potatoes, salads and more, is owned by husband and wife Jaime Loya and Irma Chavez of Elgin. Chavez manages the store while her husband, formally the owner of the shop, works at a nursing home in Bartlett, she said.
"I like to say that this place chose us," Chavez said of the location of their new business. "Little by little we made it where we are, with a lot of work."
The pastries are made by Chavez, who said she has a pastry chef degree from Mexico and also bakes wedding cakes, fondant cakes and more. The couple's daughter, Aime Loya, 19, a student at Elgin Community College, also works at the store along with family friend Yessy Chavarria, also an ECC student who wants to become a pastry chef.
Sweets & More started in early 2014 inside a flea market in the northeast side of Elgin, but the market ended up closing just two or three months later, Chavez said. Scrambling to find a new space, they moved to Fox Valley Flea Market on Route 31 in Elgin, where it still operates on weekends, she said.
In order to bake their goods, they rented space at Shared Dream Kitchen in Elgin, which offers commercial kitchen space to business owners who are starting their ventures, Chavez said. "(Shared Dream Kitchen owner) Kevin Echevarria is our angel. He really supported us," she said.
When customers started clamoring for their products during the week, the couple knew it was time to start thinking about opening a store, Chavez said.
"We wanted to open in Elgin because this is where we live, and we owe a lot to this town," she said.
Hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Sweets & More is also at Fox Valley Flea Market at 840 N. State St. Saturday and Sundays. For more information visit 911sweets.com or facebook.com/911sweets.