Festivus for the rest of us at McHenry tiny shops

An aluminum pole, feats of strength and the airing of grievances were in the air Saturday as McHenry’s Riverwalk Shoppes celebrated Festivus on the traditional day before Christmas Eve.

For David Badgley, owner of Lumber & Twine, his feats of strength idea was challenging customers to “Seinfeld” trivia. Those who could answer the question would receive a 10% discount. Those who could stump him on a question from the 1990s sitcom would receive 15% off.

“Julie [Skaggs] came up with the idea. I seconded it immediately,” said Badgley. A fan of the show who found it as an adult, Badgley also sported his own puffy shirt in honor of the classic series.

“Julie [Skaggs] came up with the idea. I seconded it immediately.”

—   David Badgley, owner of Lumber & Twine at the McHenry Riverwalk Shoppes

The idea to celebrate the made-up holiday stemming from a 1997 TV show came from Julie Skaggs at the Mad Soyentist candle shop. She had the traditional Festivus aluminum pole outside her shop.

Skaggs, along with Badgley and Julie Vahos at Hair Extensions, announced that the three are going in together to open a retail space in downtown McHenry following their six-month residencies at the tiny shops.

In March, they will open Shop 3430 at 3430 W. Elm St. The building is the former location of the Youth and Family Center of McHenry County, which moved earlier this year to the former McHenry School District 15 building at 1011 N. Green St.

“It was the best location available and close to downtown,” Badgley said. The three moving to the new location all wanted to stay in downtown McHenry, he added.

The McHenry Area Chamber of Commerce announced Dec. 16 which start-up or small retail businesses would receive a tiny shop for the 2024 season, starting in May.

Those winners are AteaCo, Edge Designs, KEST Jewelry, Marvin’s Toy Store, Patina Wine Shop McHenry, Preserved Peculiarities, The Pieceful Project, The Bumble Bread Co., Vintage Mercantile and Bright Nest.

The final three on the list were also in the shops this year.

“We will be right here” next summer, said Ian Fairweather at Bright Nest. He and wife Shelby Fairweather run the shop and have been looking for retail space in McHenry, but being able to remain at the stores another season was great news.

They also got in on the Festivus spirit, inviting customers to toss a ball into a bucket in the store. If the ball went into the correct bucket, customers received a discount.

If the ball landed in the wrong bucket, the customer would get a “good job.”

Bumble Bread Co. owner Danny Springer said he plans to take a break in January and will continue to serve customers via delivery service until the shops reopen in May. They didn’t get in on the Festivus spirit, Springer added, as they were too busy selling the Christmas Tree cinnamon rolls and other breads to those looking for treats.

A total of 29 small-business owners applied for one of the 10 shops, up from 17 in their first year, Molly Ostap, president of the Chamber of Commerce, said. Reapplying for a second year in the shops “was always a possibility,” she said, adding that new applicants were weighed more heavily. “When it came down to it, the [returning shops] scored higher.”