Downtown Naperville Sidewalk Sale offers hot deals

Even in the heat and humidity of a typical July day, some shoppers already were looking ahead to winter and buying Christmas ornaments Thursday during the opening hours of the three-day Downtown Naperville Sidewalk Sale.

The ornaments came all the way from Ireland, where Colleen Hickey, owner of The Irish Way, goes every summer to buy items including Waterford crystal, jewelry, china, and other knickknacks.

The Irish Way started participating in the sidewalk sale the summer after it opened in 1994 and Hickey says it's a great way to get ready for a new season.

The humidity and threat of rain didn't stop people from searching for hot deals at the sale, which will continue from 10 a.m. to dusk both Friday and Saturday and is sponsored by the Downtown Naperville Alliance.

"I hate the winter," shopper Bill Matt said. "I love this."

By 11 a.m., Bill and his wife, Donna, already had gone to their car to drop off packages filled with purses, jewelry and crafts before coming back to search for more.

The couple drove from Chicago to return to the sale they discovered purely by chance last year.

"I like the small-town atmosphere, the store clerks are just really friendly to deal with," Bill Matt said.

George Paez, graphic designer for the cafe and chocolate shop Le Chocolat du Bouchard, said having all the home decor the store sells outside is a great way to get people inside the shop for a little chocolate.

The hot temperatures make it impractical to bring the flavorful stuff outside to tempt shoppers.

"It would melt," Paez said. "It would be gone. As it gets hotter, we lose more chocolate."

The sale has been going on for decades, according to Katie Wood, executive director of the Downtown Naperville Alliance, and has become a downtown tradition.

Each of the more than 50 participating local and national businesses offer sales, often clearing out their backrooms to sell merchandise for lower prices.

A couple of the standouts, Wood says, are Dean's Clothing, which has a parking lot filled with items, and Anderson's Bookshop, with new books and gifts.

"It's a great chance for people to get great summer sales," Wood said.

For a list of all the stores participating in the Downtown Naperville Sidewalk sale, visit downtownnaperville.com.