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Chicago's sidewalks during the holidays
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A horse-drawn carriage ambles through
Long Grove's covered bridge.
Long Grove
INSPIRATION JUST SEEMS to come easily in this Victorian town known for its unique gifts. Maybe it’s the horse-drawn carriages, trimmed in pine boughs and red poinsettias, clip-clopping past and the dozens of boutiques decked in twinkling lights, evergreen swags and holly-berry red ribbons.
Nearly 80 shops, many in converted or restored Victorian homes, line cobblestone walkways of this century-old German town in the northwest suburbs. Their doors open to spice-scented interiors and all sorts of intriguing displays.
"This just puts me in the spirit," says Carol Serpe of Arlington Heights. "I find special things that you can’t find at the mall."
She admires a beaded necklace in Charlotte’s Chapeaux, a boutique named after owner Brooke Renshaw’s grandmother, who was a seamstress and milliner. The hat shop shares a clapboard farmhouse with its sister store, The Keeping Room, filled with irresistible home accessories that include peppermint-scented tapers and pretty patterned dessert plates.
Focused Christmas shopping amid sparkling trees and artful tabletops easily can give way to dreaming about redoing decorations at home. At Red Oaks, a furniture and home accessories store in a rambling, red-and-white farmhouse, centerpieces and evergreen arrangements created by store designers decorate doorways, fireplace mantels and entryways.
The store includes outbuildings where elements of the home’s 1850 architecture remain, such as wood-beamed ceilings and a stone dry sink.
Near the village’s covered bridge, Amberland Artisans stocks handwoven, flax linen tablecloths from Latvia. Chunky beaded necklaces and polished teardrop earrings of amber shimmer like drops of frozen sunlight alongside hand-painted glass, pottery and tooled-leather-bound journals.
At lunchtime, The Village Tavern poses a definite distraction. Even the most determined shoppers tend to linger over homemade soups and hefty burgers in this 1847 establishment, where a fire crackles in the cozy dining room.
MORE TO DO
Long Grove’s shops and restaurants are within walking distance of each other.
TAKE A BREAK For lunch, burgers and milk shakes are served at the Peppermint Stick Restaurant.
SHOP ON Colette’s Table sells milled soaps (some shaped like French landmarks), plus Quimper dishware, French cookbooks and makeup and jewelry from Paris. Long Grove Soap & Candle Company has fresh and fragrant gifts, including soy-scented candles and scented soaps. I’d Rather Be Knitting Yarn Studio sells fine yarns, knitting supplies, patterns and books. (Knitting classes are available, too!) The Dog House of Long Grove is a boutique for pampered pets.
FIND ART Cassandra’s tempts patrons with custom- and ready-made silk florals, plus landscapes, still-life paintings and cowboy prints. Artisan Shop & Gallery showcases artists’ whimsical and functional creations, including toys, blown-glass pieces, handbags, knit outerwear, wood boxes and cutting boards.
Nibble it Sample teas and a luncheon buffet at Seasons of Long Grove during one of its Nutcracker teas (above). Long Grove Popcorn Shoppe has nearly 50 flavors. And at old-fashioned Ma & Pa's Candy, you’ll find licorice sticks, malted-milk balls, taffy and bubble-gum cigars.
