St. Charles mom puts her talent into business
Dallas Bucaro knew she had some sales skills, but she’d never put them to use in a retail setting. She also knew she loved “fixing things up” with decorative and seasonal touches, but it was a hobby and nothing more.
And she knew her 19-year-old son Philip was going to join the Marines, and this made her proud but understandably worried.
So it was time to combine all of that life skill and emotion into one project.
The result? She opened her own business, Dallas Seasonal Décor and More, in a 1920s building at 115 Cedar Ave., St. Charles, in Century Corners.
“Instead of sitting around worrying about my son, I decided to open a shop,” said Bucaro, who lives in St. Charles.
“This is something I have always wanted to do and, so far, knock on wood, it has been going fantastic,” Bucaro added.
Calling her shop a “four-season store,” Bucaro provides all sorts of decorative pieces that customers can purchase, but her real specialty is refurbishing nearly anything that a customer brings in to be revitalized.
“An old chair is a good example of something that a person would bring in, and I can refurbish it, put on decorative pieces that clip on, and the customer spends maybe $20 instead of more than $100,” she explained. More information about the store is available by calling (630) 715-3767.
Bucaro senses she had good timing for opening the store because a few other shops recently have opened in Century Corners. The grand opening two weeks ago, which featured fundraising for the Marines and the Lazarus House homeless shelter in St. Charles, drew more than 125 customers.
“That was really great to celebrate something good in the community,” Bucaro said. “People were very generous.”
The worrying will begin in earnest when her son leaves for Afghanistan or Korea early next year, but for now it’s all about putting a new sparkle on old items for her customers.
Music and donations: The same thought crosses my mind each year I attend the Community Leadership Breakfast during American Education Week at Geneva High School: Listening to soothing chamber music is not a bad way to start a morning.Of course, it#146;s always important to hear about the Geneva Academic Foundation#146;s annual donation to the schools, which was $41,621 this year. But the music greeting visitors Wednesday provided by the high school chamber orchestra was quite pleasant on the ears. Alexandra Riley, Tyler Munoz, Katie Baughman, Anna Green, Amy McVey, Megan Kelly, Madi Juby and Kevin Schneider did a nice job under the direction of Julie Lawrence.As for the foundation, this year#146;s donation helps supply laptops, audio systems, digital cameras, microphones for the theater, forensic materials for science classes, a poster printer, and equipment for culinary classes, among other needed items.Since its creation in 1987, the foundation has raised more than $1 million for the schools, according to Mary Bencini, who serves as the project search chairman for the foundation.Taking a bow: It was a pretty solid week for Batavia businesses in terms of significant recognition. First, Batavia Enterprises was the corporate honoree at the annual Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Citizen Award ceremony for its commitment to community service and the development of youth in the community.We also learned of Feece Oil earning a #147;top tier#148; status from its parent company, ConocoPhillips Co., for exceeding quality, safety and environmental standards. Feece Oil has been a distributor of oil products from Conoco, Phillips 66 and Kendall Motor Oil for industrial, commercial, agricultural and passenger car use since 1934. Tradition can change: Oops, as Rick Perry might say. I let my fondness for long traditions get the better of me last week when saying the Christmas decorations lighting in St. Charles would take place at Lincoln Park, as it has for several decades.The downtown holiday lighting actually moves to the First Street plaza this year, unfolding at 5 p.m. Friday, the night before the holiday parade. The decorations around Lincoln Park in front of St. Patrick#146;s Church will look nice regardless of where the city#146;s lighting switch is pulled, and the plaza was built for such joyous occasions.A snowy touch?: And keep your fingers crossed for good weather if you are planning on watching the annual Christmas Electric Christmas Parade at 5:30 p.m. Saturday along Main Street.But this would be a case in which hoping for a light snow might not be a bad thing. It would add a holiday touch to the event.Let#146;s just hope it#146;s not raining, or really windy and cold. The parade has become a favorite local holiday tradition fairly quickly, so plan to get downtown early and stake a spot along the parade route.Snowbound helper: Last year, I got the job of putting up the directional arrows along the route of TriCity Family Services#146; Snowflake Shuffle 5K event through the Mill Creek subdivision in Geneva.The event actually lived up to its name and I was driving around in a snowstorm trying to place the signs, so runners would know where to go. The runners were lucky they didn#146;t end up in Elburn, considering I was really guessing which snow bank to plunk a sign in most of the time.It proves volunteers are important for this event, so anyone who would like to help at the Dec. 3 fundraiser should call the agency at (630) 232-1070. If you want to join in the fun of running or walking for the cause, you still have time to sign up for the 5K or Youth Mile at tricityfamilyservices.org.Keep popping up: The name pretty much explains what these events are all about, but it is always interesting to see where the next St. Charles Arts Council Pop-up Art Gallery is going to, well, pop up.The most recent pop-up, titled #147;Fall,#148; was scheduled Saturday at the Cedar Avenue Business Center at 902 Cedar Ave. in St. Charles.The gallery, which features artwork from local and regional artists, will be open through Dec. 11. Information is available at nextgallerystcharles.org.dheun@sbcglobal.net