Last summer, the closing of the Jackson Square Antique Mall in La Grange left many antique dealers searching for new spaces. Some relocated to the La Grange Park Antique Mall located at 800 E. 31st St., but this location also closed unexpectedly. A number of these dealers have now found a home at 31st Street Antiques, situated at 9046 31st St. in Brookfield, across the railroad tracks.
Todd Soliday, Kim Crivello, and Kathy DiModica are the new owners of 31st Street Antiques. They collaborated with Nancy Lisowski, who managed La Grange Park Antiques for four years until she decided to retire. Soliday shared, “She was stepping down, and she was going to be retiring,” which sparked the idea of starting a new venture.
Soliday leveraged his real estate expertise to identify a potential commercial space. “I have a background in real estate and I started scoping out commercial real estate and I was like, hey, we can do this,” he said. Kim, who previously worked at Vintage Design Mart, joined the team and helped gather support for the new business.
Currently, 31st Street accommodates 32 antique vendors, who pay rent and a 15% commission on their sales to the owners. The store opened recently, following substantial efforts from the owners. Crivello’s husband undertook all electrical work, while the owners refurbished the interior without hiring contractors.
Both Soliday and Crivello showcase their collections at 31st Street. Soliday’s display is called Antiques Rewound, while Crivello’s, named Pretty Creepy Things, features medical oddities, including a human skull.
Lisowski lent her support in the store’s setup, drawing from her experience running Budget Box resale store since 1952. She transformed the store into a fundraiser for BEDS Plus, a nonprofit supporting unhoused individuals, ensuring customers of consistent product quality. “By purchasing the items they’ve been purchasing for the last 40 years, it’s the exact same quality of products,” she said.
Wendi’s World, a new stall operated by Wendi Kunz, focuses on midcentury modern glass. Her passion for glass stems from childhood memories of a single glass vase owned by her grandmother. “She came home with this one vase and I loved that vase,” Kunz recalled, explaining her lifelong interest in vintage glass.
Kunz has amassed over 500 vases and enjoys displaying them in her booth. Ellen Vanderhoof, another vendor, offers a varied selection through her Eclectic Deja Vu stall, including ethnic and vintage items like purses and jewelry.