The six vendors at the Brookfield Shops retail incubator near Progress Park are gearing up for the official grand opening of the 2026 cohort on Friday, May 8.
In the meantime, operators from each of the six shops — The Vulgar Vegan, Four Star Coffee Company, The Shop Salon & Style House, 34Designed, Makrame Green and Down to Earth Herbal Infusions — were peddling their wares during an open house on Friday, May 1.
Jacqui Payne, the owner of custom apparel store 34Designed, said she was relieved to see her new 15-feet-by-15-feet location set up and ready for customers.
“I definitely learned a lot about setting up and all the pieces that I have to think about as far as displays and how to patch holes, but it was also kind of fun imagining it and thinking about how my product is going to show,” she told the Landmark.
Payne said she plans to design a new Brookfield-centric shirt design each month that her shop is open to encourage returning customers.
“I grew up in this area, and bringing myself back here and feeling really rooted here, I love seeing people,” she said. “Knowing that my product is going to be part of [the lives of] kids in the area I grew up in, and them wearing it and growing up here, is really special to me.”
Fabiola Jimenez and Leo Navarro of Makrame Green said they had a quick turnaround, only beginning to set their shop up the weekend of April 25.
“It was kind of exhausting, I’m not going to lie,” Navarro said.
He said they’re most looking forward to getting to host plant-centric events with members of the Brookfield community.
“Being able to get incorporated with everybody, starting to get known and selling more stuff. Hopefully, everybody wants more plants,” he said.
Nelly Garcia, who runs Down to Earth, said designing the interior of her shed space was the hardest part of the process so far.
“Just Wallpaper was really nice. They donated the wallpaper for us, so I think it was getting some input and their expertise on what designs to go with and also utilizing our logo colors,” Garcia said. “We’ve been doing farmers markets, and it’s a lot of moving pieces to it, so it’s really nice to have a stable location to connect with the community and keep building on what we’ve been growing.”
Right now, one corner of Garcia’s shop holds a few photos of community members who visited the shop at the Brookfield Farmers Market. Over time, she said she hopes to add more photos as people become integrated with the tea vendor.
For each of those three vendors, May 8 will be their first formal day of operation in the retail incubator, which will run through December.
The other three vendors have been allowed to open already due to their existing experience. Four Star and the Style House were both members of the inaugural Brookfield Shops cohort last year, while the Vulgar Vegan was allowed to open at the end of January due to owner Valerie Vedral’s experience at the similar Berwyn Shops program.
“We weren’t really sure what to expect, because in winter, people aren’t out as much, but it’s been pretty good. Business has been steady. Compared with some of the indoor farmers markets we’ve done, this is always a sure thing. We can always count on having people come in, whereas markets are more volatile, I feel like, right now,” Vedral said.
With the business boasting custom cupcake confections, Vedral said she’s most looking forward to continuing to let her creativity shine.
“Next week, for the grand opening, we’re going to launch a cupcake called the Brookfielder that you’re only going to be able to get here. It’s going to have a juniper extract and syrup on it, since we’re the village of trees,” she said. “What I love doing the most is coming up with new recipes, new cupcake creations, and things that will bring people in the door.”
At Four Star, Jose Camacho said he’d like to see his family’s business be allowed to post more signage.
“That’s one of the things that’s very difficult, because it’s a business, and the customers don’t see any signs about what we are,” he said.
He said the biggest takeaway from the previous year spent at the Brookfield Shops has been to persevere.
“Don’t give up. When you have a business, don’t expect to have a ton of customers come in [at first]. It’s a process that you have to take it or leave it, because if you’re a business, you have to trust,” he said. “You have to gain customers, maybe one every month, but that’s good. That means you know that you’re doing good.”
Kelly Stevens, one of two Kellys (alongside her daughter-in-law, Kelly Thompson) who run the Style House, agreed that building relationships has been the key to success.
“It was easy. It’s natural. I feel very blessed,” Stevens said. “I’ve made not just customers but relationships. It’s been amazing. At first, when you have a brick-and-mortar, you depend on foot traffic. While we have it, it’s a little different. We’re not on LaGrange Road; we’re here at Eight Corners, and there’s never been a boutique herein Brookfield. When I have people coming from LaGrange Park, Brookfield, Oak Park, and they’re return customers, it’s a great accomplishment.”
