Shoppers Can Find Deals at Indoor Sidewalk Sale

The 3rd annual sale will be held this weekend in downtown Glen Ellyn.

Shopping for a deal in downtown Glen Ellyn will get a little easier this weekend when the Alliance of Downtown Glen Ellyn hosts its 3rd annual Indoor Sidewalk Sale. With the weather a mixed bag this time of year, the sidewalk sale will bring together a number of downtown businesses offering special deals in one space. The event will be held in the empty space at 476 N. Main St. Friday and Saturday, according to Carol White, executive director of the Alliance of Downtown Glen Ellyn. "The goal of the event is to bring folks downtown shopping," White said. "We hope to make it easier to hit several locations at once with some fun DJ music in a 'market' kind of atmosphere.  Shoppers have loved the atmosphere of multiple downtown businesses and …

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Sustainability in the Suburbs

It's Not Your Mother's Antique Store: One Woman Repurposes Home Decor For Less

How one Glen Ellyn entrepreneur looks at “used stuff” a little differently than most of us.

Beckie Nilles looks at used home decor pieces and sees potential, something most others can't envision. Nilles is the owner of Urban Chic Home, a store chock full of eclectic, antique items that she and others have brought back to life.  "As a child, I just tagged along on a lot of estate sales.”   These excursions with her mother inspired her, and over time her “recycle and repurpose” theory of style just evolved. She learned, for example, that an old, useless sewing machine cabinet — if reinvented properly — could become a table just perfect for the end of a hallway. “Over time, as I looked more at objects, I saw cute elements — a spindle, a leg, some construction method, or interesting material. It was fascinating, and I couldn’t find a…

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