Warrenville to bring tiny shop trend to riverfront park

Downtown chalets in Muskegon, Michigan. The Batavia Boardwalk Shops. Berwyn’s retail cottages.

Warrenville leaders are embracing the tiny shop trend as a platform for homegrown small businesses. The city plans to start its own seasonal pop-up market in a park along the West Branch of the DuPage River. A soft launch will be held over two weekends starting Oct. 25.

“I believe that we are the first in the county, and we’re proud to bring the option here for that type of experience. And given the location that we have, it’s all the more unique,” said Amy Emery, Warrenville’s community and economic development director.

The Batavia Boardwalk Shops are clustered together downtown at Route 25 and Wilson Street. The vendor roster changes from season to season. The red-roofed units are tiny, too — 12-by-12-foot shops — but packed with big ambitions.

Farmdog Flowers, Haylie B's Bakery and fellow alumni of the boardwalk shops — a business incubator program led by the Batavia MainStreet organization — have since gone on to open brick-and-mortar spaces downtown.

Similarly, Warrenville officials aim to create a “small-scale vendor village” that will give home-based businesses and emerging entrepreneurs a chance to interact with their customers face to face, test their products and learn what it’s like to operate and maintain a storefront.

The city also envisions mentorships and partnerships with local financial institutions to help vendors “gain some of the knowledge that’s needed to be a successful retailer and eventually move their way from the market to a more permanent space,” Emery said.

“It’s something that will grow and evolve through community efforts, the efforts of the vendors, the efforts of our different organizations,” she said.

The market is expected to develop over time in the riverfront park.

“We're offering a setting that’s in nature, that’s along the river, that you can bike and take a trail to, that has a historical flavor and context, and art presence around it through the historical society and the art displays that they have in there for the Albright museum,” Emery said of the building adjacent to the Warren Tavern.

DuPage County will reimburse the city for project costs up to $25,000 through its Member Initiative Program.

“The market itself is just beginning, so there are more units to bring in and more amenities to provide over time, but this is kick-starting our initiative,” Emery has said of the grant.

Ultimately, Warrenville envisions eight shops on the park site.

Officials also are looking at additional enhancements to the park that may include a pavilion for dining and a flex pavilion that could be used for classes, small concerts, community activities or morning yoga classes — “anything that we can think of to activate the space,” support the market and help bring residents together, Emery said.

A vendor preview is set for noon to 4 p.m. Oct. 25. Temporary market tents will be set up along a cement patio area. And, two of the vendor units will be installed on the property.

“We want the community and the vendors to be able to check them out … so they'll be just open and available to walk through and see what those spaces look and feel like,” Emery said.

Additionally, a ribbon cutting and the Warrenville Historical Society craft fair will be held during a Nov. 1 event from noon to 3 p.m. As part of the ribbon cutting ceremony, the Warrenville Tourism and Arts Commission also will be revealing a name for the market that Saturday.

Through the winter months, officials will finalize the program for the official launch of the market in 2026.

That includes defining the operating hours, application process for vendors, any fees associated with their occupancy of individual units. Officials also will be working to develop more formal sponsorships through agencies in the community, Emery added.

She’s been meeting with various groups to talk about the concept and introduce the idea.

“And everywhere I go,” she said, “there's just a lot of enthusiasm and excitement to see this launch.”