'Hippie general store' moves to Lake Zurich

A passionate Grateful Dead fan recently moved his 8-year-old business from Mount Prospect to Lake Zurich.

Mark Paradise and his wife Nancy stress that their shop, Sunshine Daydream, caters to more than music fans.

"We call it a hippie general store," Mark said.

The bright shop at 708 S. Rand Road in the Walmart shopping center features everything from CDs and lava lamps to incense, tie-dye clothing and jewelry.

"It's a fun shop," Mark said, adding that "It's not a head shop. We don't sell paraphernalia. We do not sell pipes or anything like that."

The small business attracts shoppers of all ages, the owners say. Mark said 17- to 23-year-olds may be the largest group of shoppers. However, he sees grandparents as well.

The clothing has been going over really well at the new location, the owners said. "We have tie-dye hoodies, tank tops, sundresses and even baby clothes," Mark said. The main reason the entrepreneurs moved from their Mount Prospect location is that they were seeing lower foot traffic because of changes at Randhurst Shopping Center, he said. Mark said when his lease was up, he began looking around and found the tough economy gave him bargaining power at strip centers with vacancies.

He and Nancy agree it's a bonus that they now operate in the village where they reside.

The shop also carries posters and tapestries popular in decorating dorm rooms.

"And of course we have anything Grateful Dead, from water bottles to necklaces to guitar picks and T-shirts," Mark said.

Mark, 44, and his wife are raising three young children, Cassidy, Zachary and Joseph. The couple, who grew up in Chicago, started dating in high school.

Mark jokes that his wife says he opened the store because he didn't want to grow up.

"I wanted my own place. This is a really fun shop," said Mark, who enjoys coming to work.

He added that it's a niche-type of store that is going over well in Lake Zurich. The popularity of the peace symbol is another attraction to the store.

"People come in from all over and say, 'It takes me back,'" Mark said.

For more information, check out sunshinedaydream.biz.