Follow the Red Brick Road

By
August 2021 View more

When moving from Chicago to the suburbs to raise their kids years ago, Kimberly Pace-
Arquilla and her husband eventually landed in Hinsdale. With her children (19, 21, and 24) now grown, the recent end of her marriage actually inspired her to start a new business in town.

“When I got a divorce … I realized we didn’t have any place in Hinsdale for women over 40 to gather,” says Pace-Arquilla, 58, who previously worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Chicago. “You’re an empty nester, a widow, divorced … and so many women had small companies with nowhere to show their wares.”

So she opened the Work-Shop (14 W. First St., 630.568.5653, thework-shop.com), a boutique and gathering space in downtown Hinsdale that hosts events for women who sell goods made by women—from jewelry to greeting cards to bath salts. A portion of profits benefits the B&B Foundation, a nonprofit that helps women navigate challenging life transitions.

“I bought a home right down the street from our store because I enjoy walking the red brick road all the way to town,” she says. “You can have lunch and shop and feel like you’ve had a full day.”
For sustenance, Pace-Arquilla recommends the fried rice at Jade Dragon (43 S. Washington St., 630.323.6959, jadedragonhinsdale.com) and the bucatini carbonara at Il Poggiolo (8 E. First St., 630.734.9400, ilpoggiolohinsdale.com). “Jade Dragon is special. My kids would go there. … That was their place to go to take their friends to dinner or lunch,” she says. “And Il Poggiolo is a great little place to have dinner.”
Sweet William (15 E. First St., 630.920.8444, sweetwilliamhinsdale.com) is one of Pace-Arquilla’s favorite clothing boutiques. “[Owner] Kristi [Smith] has been there for a long time and her inventory is exquisite,” she says. “You can always find something unique and different there.”

She also likes to shop at Marcus (101 S. Washington St., 630.590.5040, shopmarcus.com). “It’s the most beautiful building in Hinsdale,” she says. “It was an old Gap, and when it left, it remained empty for a while. They renovated the entire building and it’s just gorgeous—they did such a beautiful job maintaining the character. They have accessories for home and purses and jewelry and things.”

As far as green spaces go, Burlington Park (30 E. Chicago Ave.), home of the Uniquely Thursdays Summer Concert Series, will always have a special place in her heart. “My kids loved it; we would congregate there on a Thursday night for live music,” she says.


The Look of Zook
Hinsdale is home to a number of buildings designed by architect R. Harold Zook, known for his Tudors and whimsical Cotswold-style cottages with undulating wood-shingled roofs. His own home and office was saved from demolition and moved from its South Oak Street location to Katherine Legge Memorial Park by the Hinsdale Historical Society in 2005, and the society continues to raise funds for its preservation. Details: zookhomeandstudio.org

Photos courtesy Marcus and by Karen Wooley Photography, Kimberly Fornek/Pioneer Press