ShamROCKS the Fox gave new McHenry shops chance to try their luck

Getting his new bakery and storefront in McHenry ready for customers in time for St. Patrick’s Day weekend was vital to his business plan, Danny Springer of Bumble Bread Co. said.

“That was my goal from the beginning” when he found out the space at 1114 N. Green St., formerly Just 4 You Treats, would be available for lease, Springer said.

[ Photos: ShamROCKS the Fox parade ]

During his two seasons in McHenry’s Riverwalk Shoppes, Springer saw the crowds the city attracts during its annual ShamROCKS the Fox festival. “I know how many people are coming out for this. It was a good opportunity” to get his breads and other baked goods in front of future customers, Springer said.

Though windy and snowy weather put a damper on some of the festivities this past weekend, McHenry Mayor Wayne Jett said he estimated 11,000 people were on hand for the ShamROCKS parade and dyeing of the Fox River Saturday – many who then stuck around for special events at McHenry restaurants and shopping in its stores.

Part of the ShamROCKS parade route goes past Bumble Bread Co. and its new next-door neighbor, The Pieceful Project, at 1118 N. Green St.

After the parade, Pieceful Project manager Raven Diemer was organizing the new store’s storage room while Brad Vlcek worked in front. It is the second Lego, game and puzzle store for owner Jessica Stetson, who also has a Cary location and was one of the Riverwalk Shoppe tenants last year.

Both Springer and Stetson had soft openings in late February and a joint grand opening last week to prepare for the crowds they expected over the St. Patrick’s Day weekend.

“ShamROCKS the Fox is a core part of McHenry and we see ourselves as a core part of the community. We wanted to be a part of that community this weekend,” Stetson said.

Another store that opened in March to capitalize on the festival on Riverside Drive is actually a relocation.

In August, Laura Taubery opened Wild Hunny Boutique on Elm Street in McHenry. On March 1, she reopened that shop at 1213 Riverside Dr., just up the street from the Riverwalk Shoppes. Her hopes are that the new location is more accessible to the same walk-in traffic going to the “tiny shops” at the riverwalk, Taubery said, adding that opening the new location this weekend was “imperative ... for people finding us.”

The new storefront – a former skin products store – is about half the size of the previous location, forcing her to edit her inventory to fit. But what hasn’t changed about the products is the focus on local, women-owned small businesses, Taubery said.

“I have to be more creative” in her marketing because of the smaller store. That’s why she’s focusing on “artists in residence” each month, to promote the work of those artisans and bring in customers to find their works, she added.

Julie Skaggs and David Badgley can attest to the foot traffic ShamROCKS brings to a new retail store. The two, along with Julie Vahos, opened Shop 3430 at 3430 Elm Street-Route 120 on March 1, 2024. All three had Riverwalk Shoppes during the retail incubator’s first season and are sharing the space on Route 120.

“You will have hundreds, if not thousands, who will see you” over the ShamROCKS weekend, Badgley said, adding that March 2024 was one of their best months in business. Those customers have kept coming back, he said, including for the monthly classes they host on site.

Not all of the stores celebrating events over the weekend were opening, however. Kimmie and Carl Eckel, owners of Water Street Shoppe at 1305 Court St., announced via social media that they are closing the store and moving.

That move isn’t within McHenry, however. The couple is planning to move later this year and reopen the store in Tennessee, Kimmie Eckel said. Plans are to put the building they’ve been in for the past four years on the market April 1.

“What we don’t sell we will take with us” to Tennessee, she said, adding that her husband has been bringing many of the tie-dyed clothing he’s made over the years out of storage.

She’s also heard from a few people who might be interested in buying the building for their own retail location.