Excitement abounded on Friday, May 8, when residents and officials alike gathered for the grand opening of the 2026 cohort of the Brookfield Shops retail incubator program.
Live music performed by the Paul Abella Trio began at 11 a.m. when the six vendor sheds opened their doors, and a ribbon cutting ceremony was held at noon. The event lasted until about 1:30 p.m., though most of the shops are open well into the afternoon on Fridays. Most of the vendors are also open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends, with some, like Four Star Handcrafted Coffee and the Vulgar Vegan, opening earlier on weekdays.
Friday’s event was the second time a grand opening has been held at the Brookfield Shops, 11 months after the first ever cohort opened last June.
Libby Popovic, Brookfield’s community development director and one of the masterminds behind the program, said it was “incredibly validating” to see the incubator open for a second year.
“Watching these vendors go from the first year to the second year, and seeing New Book Joy going into their own brick-and-mortar, it’s such a validating experience. It’s so wonderful because it’s such a team project. My entire team with community development, public works, parks, the village manager’s office: It’s such a group effort, and it’s so nice to see it implemented,” Popovic told the Landmark.
She said staff were setting up for the grand opening late the night before and early the morning of, though the real work began well ahead of time.
“This started, really, a good eight weeks ago. We had [to work in] every-two-week chunks on what we were going to be accomplishing because we had to finish the infrastructure and get the vendors and start the program,” she said.
Late last year, the village received nearly $200,000 from Cook County to improve the courtyard between the two rows of sheds with pavers, community-sourced art, picnic tables and a designated performance area.
Others who’ve worked on the Brookfield Shops behind the scenes had similar feelings to Popovic’s on Friday.
“It’s so exciting to picture what it was like before and to see what it is now,” Village President Michael Garvey said. “To have the experience of having alumni graduate … it’s exactly what we had hoped to happen. I have high hopes of seeing these businesses move on and do that also.”
Patrick Greenacre, one half of the consulting duo KPGS, said he felt less nervous than at last year’s grand opening.
“The first year, you got a lot of nerves, a lot of anxiety. What are we going to get right? What did we forget? Year two, we get to come back and fix all the things that most people probably didn’t notice from the outside,” Greenacre said. “I’m really proud that it sustained for another year. A lot of business do close, but we got a lot of really good support from the community.”
Indeed, many residents turned out to support the vendors with their presences — and their wallets.
“It’s a beautiful day. We want to support the local businesses. It was so much fun last year,” said resident Pat Cole, who browsed the sheds with her husband, Jonathan Platt.
“I live down the street, so it’s always a pleasure to come and support the small businesses, especially at this time, with the economy going, it feels like we need to be out here to support our community,” Brookfield resident Alexandra Andrews said. “I’m very happy with the new businesses and supporting the businesses from last year. I recommend anybody come out here.”
