Former city council member opens consignment shop in Batavia

As a young mother years ago, Paula Mueller had a particular fondness for shopping for clothes at a consignment store. So much so, that she'd go into Chicago to patronize consignment shops to find items for her children.

"It was one of my favorite things to do, but there weren't a lot of them around here," Mueller said.

There are more these days, but Mueller is adding to that landscape. She's opening Paula's Couture Consignment at 4½ Wilson St., along the Fox River below Reel Pro Video in downtown Batavia.

"This is something I am pretty passionate about," said Mueller, a former Batavia alderwoman who now lives in North Aurora.

Six years ago, Mueller took a part-time job in a consignment shop in Aurora called Boutique Repeats. "I worked my way up to being manager at the store and loved it," she said. "I loved the fashion and the people, everything about it."

During her six years on that job, Mueller endured a life-changing event in which she went through a divorce and left her spot on the city council after nearly two years of service.

"I had to start looking for my next adventure, something to be passionate about and get into," she said. "I found an investor who believed in me and I ran with the opportunity when presented."

The investor is Marc Bahr of Bahr Construction, which has done the work to prepare the nearly 1,000-square-foot site for the new business.

Geneva has a few shops in Jane Pabon, Anew and Always in Style, but Mueller wanted Batavia to be included on the women's clothing consignment landscape.

"It's going to be upscale women's consignment, as Batavia didn't have anything higher end," Mueller said.

The store will also sell some new jewelry and gift items, as well as purses. It will not sell shoes.

Mueller is planning a soft opening for the store on Saturday, Nov. 24, and will be open Tuesday through Sunday prior to the site's official ribbon cutting on Thursday, Dec. 6.

"I will be the face of Paula's, so it will be me in the store for the most part," Mueller said.

All she needs now, she said, is to work with the city on getting a sign on the building and one near the staircase off the Wilson Street bridge to indicated the store is located down the stairs near the river.

A Scout tribute:

The young Girl Scouts from Geneva schools were carrying plastic bags around Wheeler Park in Geneva, almost looking as if they were on a scavenger hunt.

But it was a cleanup mission last weekend that was part of a vigil to honor the three Girl Scouts and adult killed by a reckless driver in Wisconsin this month while cleaning up trash along a roadway.

The girls were finding out that Wheeler Park users and park district staff keep it pretty clean, but it was the message that counted.

"We want to remember these girls and we love our community, so we wanted to be part of this," one of the adult helpers said.

No more Claddagh:

The fish 'n chips at Claddagh Irish Pub in the Geneva Commons was one of my favorite meals in the region. But we'll have to bid farewell to that dish as Claddagh closes its doors Sunday, Nov. 18, after 15 years of business.

Like any other restaurant/pub that announces a closing, I hate to see it go, but also have to confess that I didn't get over there too often.

We don't lock ourselves into one dining establishment as our weekly or monthly go-to spot, but we often recommended this place to others looking for a nice bar and grill.

It's a significant spot in the Commons. If another popular brand or independent operation with some staying power comes along, we'll have another spot to try soon.

Let the Nutcrackers begin:

The Fox Valley Ballet organization will get the area's Nutcracker shows started on Saturday, Nov. 24, and Sunday, Nov. 25, at the Batavia Fine Arts Centre.

This show has been unfolding for five years now, with the organization calling it the largest Nutcracker performance in the Chicago suburbs.

Dancers from the Joffrey Ballet will join those from a Chicago ballet company and local dancers from throughout the Western suburbs.

Ashlie Anderson is the artistic director for the Fox Valley Nutcracker.

Tickets for the shows at 2 and 7 p.m. Nov. 24 and 2 p.m. Nov. 25 are available at (630) 937-8930 or on the Batavia Fine Arts Centre website.

Holiday cookie encounter:

Do I like Christmas cookies? Take this incident into consideration.

I bought a box of chocolate peanut butter cookies at the bake sale of the Geneva Women's Club annual craft show last weekend, and the lady taking the payment asked if I wanted a bag to carry it in.

"No, these are likely to be gone before I even get back to my car," I said.

That didn't turn out to be true, but the box was opened and a cookie or two "taste-tested" before pulling out of the parking lot.

dheun@sbcglobal.net