New businesses coming to downtown Wheaton
A bagel shop, two shoe stores and a fair trade retail shop are among the new businesses moving into Wheaton's regularly changing downtown.
Pamplemousse Bakery closed Aug. 28, after making macaroons and other sweet treats at 118 N. Main St. for more than 2 years. The owners said in a Facebook post they hoped to find someone to buy and continue the business, but were ultimately unsuccessful.
Shortly after the announcement about the shop's closing, the owners posted that family-run, Winfield-based County Farm Bagels would be moving into the space.
County Farm Bagels co-owner Jacob Munguia said when his family began thinking about opening a second location, Wheaton wasn't really an option because they thought it would be too expensive. But when they saw the Pamplemousse space, they knew it was perfect.
"Everything is renovated," he said. "It's a good opportunity for us, and we had to take it."
The shop will be open from 6 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and offer bagels, muffins, strudel and cookies made from scratch - often with organic ingredients - along with homemade cream cheese. Munguia said customers come from several towns over to get their bagels in Winfield and he believes people who live closer to Wheaton will be very pleased with the new shop. Doors are expected to open by the second week of October.
Less than a block north, on Wesley Street, a small quilting shop called A Different Box of Crayons will be moving out of the vintage home at 121 W. Wesley St. and relocating to Glen Ellyn. A new tenant - My Half of the Sky - plans to move into that space early next year.
My Half of the Sky will be a retail store and cafe where shoppers can grab a cup of coffee and buy fair trade goods that will help human trafficking victims and low-income families locally and around the world. Downtown Wheaton Association Executive Director Paula Barrington
said the business has organized several community outreach programs to address social justice and poverty issues, and plans to host awareness workshops and events at the new shop. Other downtown activity includes:
• Wear & Share SPORT opened just west of the vintage home, at 123 W. Wesley St.
• Choun's restaurant moved into a new space at 226 W. Front St.
• After several months of delays, OMG! Cafe has announced it plans to open across the street from the train station at 390 W. Front St. by the end of the month. The cafe, which will serve made-to-order egg dishes and artisanal grab-and-go items, recently held another job fair and is very close to being open, Barrington said.
• Miroballi Shoes is scheduled to move from the Town Square Wheaton shopping center on the south end of town to a new location at 124 N. Hale St. before the end of the year. Barrington said the owners have plans to divide the storefront into three retail spaces: one for women's shoes, one for men's shoes and a third that will be available for lease.
• Naperville Running Company is scheduled to open a third location before the holidays. It will be located in the former train depot at 102-134 W. Front St., just north of the railroad tracks, between Hale and Main streets. The building once housed YoYo Land frozen yogurt and Posh Salon, but has been vacant for about two years.