Batavia Boardwalk Shops to open May 8

Ten entrepreneurs will try their hands at brick-and-mortar business when the Batavia Boardwalk Shops open for the season on May 8.

The small-business incubator will begin its seventh season on the east side of downtown at Wilson and River streets.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. that day, according to a news release from Batavia MainStreet, the organization that runs the program.

The cottages house small businesses selling a variety of products, including handcrafted goods, specialty foods, fashion, books and home decor.

This year’s businesses are Archives Chicagoland, a bookstore featuring local authors and others; Relish, selling cooking tools, serveware and food; Paper Love Collective, selling stationary; The Soda Surf, selling nostalgic soda; Bad Luck Club boutique; Clara Nicole Jewelry; Gindo’s Spice of Life; Miss Lindy’s Bakery; Shop Roogs boutique; and What One Woman Sees, selling women’s clothing.

“Our new shop owners have been working hard to bring to life some of the most vibrant and beautiful shops we’ve had yet,” Kristen Desler, assistant director of Batavia MainStreet, said in the news release.

From May 8 to June 28, purchases will earn shoppers an entry to a weekly raffle for $50 in Downtown Dollars, which can be used at more than 60 Batavia businesses.

The shops will be open Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., through Dec. 20.

The Boardwalk Shops started after an alderman, Marty Callahan, read about a similar effort in Muskegon, Michigan.

Several previous tenants have gone on to open permanent stores, including Farmdog Flowers and New Moon Vegan. The latter was inducted into the “Illinois Made” program by the Illinois Office of Tourism in 2025.

Other alumni businesses are selling their wares in the Wilson Street Mercantile and the Red Hive shop, both in downtown Batavia.