Closings and openings: Surveying the changes in the Tri-Cities, one year after the pandemic

With both vaccine shots in my arm, it was time to venture out of isolation for a while last week. And it was quite a revelation.

Granted, I've been getting around a bit, trying to keep tabs on what is happening in our towns to keep the content of this column in line with its title of "Talk of the Town."

And so much has transpired in the past year, we'll have to approach this in parts. Today's first chapter covers my excursion traveling north on Randall Road from Geneva, all the way to Main Street in St. Charles and then east just past Kirk Road.

Here's what caught my eye, knowing full well some of these new businesses were in place and some old ones gone, possibly well before the pandemic hit.

In the Geneva Commons, this news sounds hard to swallow when illustrating what the pandemic has done. But there are still a lot of good things happening in this important retail center.

But in driving through, it was noticeable that The Children's Place, Charming Charlie, Walking Company, Just for Girls and H&M are all gone. The restaurants that have shuttered include Houlihan's, Claddagh Irish Pub and Bar Louie.

New businesses are a Binny's liquor store, a Derick Dermatology office, Holm Studio personal training and a C2 Education of Geneva consultant office.

Continuing north into St. Charles, I spotted Biggby Coffee, a new coffee house, at 902 S. Randall Road.

A new Baird & Warner office site, a Chiro One chiropractor office and Thrive Affordable Vet Care have all popped up. North of Prairie Street, the new Syrup restaurant at the former Colonial Café site appeared to be a busy place.

Heading into downtown St. Charles, it should be noted the Shakou restaurant plans to reopen, which is happy news for sushi lovers. Meanwhile, Wok n Fire restaurant on First Street is planning to relocate on March 29 to bigger digs at the 2801 E. Main St. location that formerly housed Sweet Tomatoes along Randall Road. This new spot should give Wok n Fire more room and provide an outdoor dining option.

Dimples Donuts has closed its location on East Main Street, and the popular DRM European Deli has moved farther east to the retail area near Target under the name Bella Euro Bistro. Owners Joanna and Dan Migo were looking for more kitchen and outdoor patio space and should be opening soon.

It also appears the Stone Creek makeover of the former Tincup Pass shopping strip continues to move along with retail spots filling, but breakfast lovers have to wait on The Southern Café, which has not opened yet.

The former Mother's Pancake House, a little farther east along Main Street, will reopen under the new name of Tasty Biscuit. Whether by design or circumstance, the name competes with The Southern Café's signature dish called Nasty Biscuit.

That's a lot going on, and I likely missed a few things. Next week we'll take a closer look at what's going on in Geneva.

<h3 class="leadin">Major Eden makeover:

Eden on the River, the Mediterranean restaurant set along the Fox River in St. Charles, is pretty far along in its indoor makeover, the building of a new outdoor patio setup, and a revamped menu.

As opposed to the previous open-air deck, a screened-porch setting should be an excellent addition to this popular restaurant.

"We knocked down the walls between the dining area and the outdoor seating and put windows in so that the whole restaurant appears to be outside," owner Omar Musfi said. "The outdoor setting, with a roof, will have heaters for the winter and windows we can open for the screens in the summer."

Musfi is targeting the first week in April to open the wholly refurbished restaurant and offer a new menu that will feature "modern Mediterranean," he said, noting it expands the offerings with dishes popular in more countries.

Many different places have called this spot their home over the years, dating way back to Erik &Me, and it's likely that extending the dining room out into a patio area will be a wise business decision.

Besides having the previous deck at the mercy of rainy weather, diners could also generally expect it to be fairly breezy by the river. They also had to endure the occasional spurts of flying bugs from the riverbanks.

<h3 class="leadin">A sign of normalcy:

When moving into this area nearly 45 years ago and working at the local newspaper, I found the classified ads full of garage sale notices. A few years later, my wife talked me into hosting our own garage sale at our house on the west side of St. Charles, and it was unbelievable how many people came. It illustrated the area was somehow a garage sale Mecca.

That spirit undoubtedly led to our communities eventually conducting citywide garage sales. The fact that Geneva sent out notices last week about its upcoming event from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 23 and 24 tells us that things are getting back to normal.

The pandemic put a dent in all sorts of things the past year, not the least of which was the citywide garage sales.

We've all had a year to look through our belongings and haul them off to Goodwill or Salvation Army or set them aside for a garage sale.

Those interested in the citywide Geneva event have to register by April 12 and pay the $25 fee to get listed on the printed and online maps. After April 12, it is $30, and you might miss getting listed.

Registration is at genevachamber.com, or for those paying by check or cash, a registration form can be printed from the site and returned to the Geneva chamber office at 8 S. Third St. by mail or in person.

<h3 class="leadin">

What's next for Wok space?:

As noted in my review of what's all changed in St. Charles while I was in lockdown, Wok n Fire restaurant is moving to the former Sweet Tomatoes site on the east side of town. The restaurant owners bought the building from commercial real estate agent Don Wickman.

So, what would make for a good fit on that important corner of First Street that Wok n Fire will leave behind?

If another restaurant goes in, it might have a better chance of faring well if it offered something different from what is already in place along First Street or nearby.

That doesn't leave a lot of options, really. Pizza is offered aplenty with Gia Mia in the First Street Plaza, and the Arcada is opening a new pizza joint right across Main Street from Riverside Pizza, a popular spot.

Za Za Trattoria anchors the First Street Plaza with great Italian food and other dishes, and a few Mexican restaurants dot the nearby landscape.

A place specializing in great steaks or seafood choices always catches my eye, or a good Thai food place might attract customers as well.

Much of it depends on how the next suitor would view First Street. Is it a place where nightlife spillover is getting stronger, or is it more suited for daytime meals for shoppers and visitors?

Or can something entirely not related to the restaurant world take up shop?

dheun@sbcglobal.net