Congratulations to Jeans & A Cute Top Shop for winning the Anton & Lidia Carlson Small Business of the Year Award. The Wheaton Chamber of Commerce hosts the Gamon Awards honoring the best of Wheaton. The winners are chosen by ballot and everyone in the community is invited to vote. During the Gamon ceremony owner, Jill Card, shared the story behind the store name . You can read the story  in this Daily Herald article.

See for yourself why we are proud of their shop, stop in, say hi, and find yourself some jeans and a cute top.

Less Than One Year after Opening, West Suburban Bridal Shop Receives National Recognition
Wheaton, IL – 02.01.10

The Dress by Nicole, in downtown Wheaton, has been selected to receive the WeddingWire 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ in the Wedding Dress and Attire Category, only one month shy of its first full year in business.
The annual Bride’s Choice Awards recognize excellence in quality and service in the wedding industry.  Winners are determined by reviews surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.
The award places The Dress by Nicole among the top five percent of more than 100,000 vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes wedding professionals across the United States and Canada.  The awards are given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to photographers.
This announcement comes just as The Dress by Nicole prepares to celebrate its one year anniversary, having opened in February of 2009.  Founder Nicole Kalteux Kurz, then 28, left her job as fashion designer to launch the store, which has since become a destination for Chicagoland women seeking hard-to-find and high-quality wedding gowns and special occasion dresses.
“Our first year in business has been an incredible experience,” said Kurz. “We are very lucky to have received such overwhelming support from the community, and all the brides we’ve helped have been wonderful to work with. We want to thank everyone who has made this past year a success, especially those that nominated us for the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards.”

About The Dress by Nicole
The Dress by Nicole is a bridal and special occasion boutique in downtown Wheaton, IL.  Founded in 2009 by former fashion designer Nicole Kalteux Kurz, The Dress by Nicole has quickly become the place to find unique and trendy wedding gowns and special occasion dresses in the western suburbs.  For more information, please visit www.shopthedress.com or contact Nicole at 630.653.3737.

About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding vendors. WeddingWire enables engaged couples to search, compare and book over 100,000 reviewed wedding vendors nationwide, from wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding vendors, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. In addition, WeddingWire has partnered with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE: MSO) to provide its network of local vendors and online wedding-planning tools in the Weddings section of www.MarthaStewartWeddings.com. For additional information, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

Click to download

Letter to Mayor Gresk from Bonde J. McLaren, President of the DWA [pdf]

Downtown Wheaton Parking Ordinance [pdf]

It’s Our Earth will be on TV on ABC 7 Chicago Sunday, 12/6/09 10:30 p.m. on “190 North” with Janet Davies, a show dedicated to green living in Chicago. If you miss the airing of the show, check out the 190 North website to watch the uploaded video.

Downtown Wheaton is featured on the ABC7 Show 190N with host Janet Davies. In the last segment of a recent episode she visits Wheaton’s downtown. The Bank Restaurant and the Popcorn Shop are featured. Check out the video.

On June 24th, Ivy restaurant will be hosting a Ladies Night event beginning at 6:30 p.m. 10% of food sales will be donated to Outreach Ministries. Along with Ivy, Jeans and a Cute Top Shop, Inner Focus Pilates, Serenade and the Dress by Nicole will also be hosting the event. Enjoy a fashion show, purchase Beijo Handbags, sip your favorite glass of wine and support a good cause.

DWA member, Tasting deVine wines will be celebrating it’s 10 year anniversary during the month of June. The wine tasting/gift shop first opened its doors in Wheaton on June 5, 1999. Tasting deVine provides it’s customers with a different selection of wines each month for tastings. A $7 tasting includes three whites, three reds and a fruit wine. During the month of June, Tasting devine will be rolling back the price of a tasting to the original June 1999 price of just $5 in celebration of their anniversary.

Tasting deVine also offers a wine club membership. Tasters can belong to a white, red or alternating club and experience a winemaker selected variety each month at a discounted price. The club currently consists of 850 members with great yearly benefits. Club members have compared their experience to a “Cheers” like atmosphere in downtown Wheaton.

The tasting shop is also a great place to pick up a gift for the wine lover on your gift list. Tasting deVine’s gift shop is filled with interesting wine accessories, picnic ware, art work and other unique gift items. The shop will even create custom baskets to fit that perfect gift giving occasion. Stop by for a tasting during the month of June to help celebrate a great anniversary in the heart of downtown Wheaton.

The taste is sure to bring you back for more! Tasting deVine: The place to Taste Wine and Laugh with Friends in the heart of Wheaton!

Learn more on Tasting deVine’s website.

Jeans and a Cute Top Shop will be extending their store hours for the summer months to offer shoppers more time to pick up their favorite pair of jeans or cute top. The new hours will also allow new customers coming into downtown during Vintage Rides to experience this great boutique.

Also extending store hours is The Stork’s Cradle. Mom’s on the go this summer can stop in and pick up something special for their little one or that Mom-to-be can grab something comfy for the new baby bump she’s sporting.

Stop by for great gifts or a little something for yourself at these two great downtown boutiques.

Jeans & a Cute Top Shop

Mon-Wed: 10-6

Thurs/Fri: 10-7

Sat: 10-5

Sun: Closed

The Stork’s Cradle

Mon-Wed & Fri: 10-6

Thurs: 10-7

Sat: 10-5

Sun: Closed

The Dress, by Nicole had their ribbon cutting ceremony on February 4th, and officially opened the next day.  The Dress, by Nicole is a new boutique located at 131 W. Wesley Street in downtown Wheaton featuring an exquisite collection of bridal and special occasion gowns and accessories. “Whatever your occasion, we’re excited to help you find THE dress!”  – Nicole Kurz, President  To learn more visit www.shopthedress.com or call 630-653-3737!

The Downtown Wheaton Association (DWA) will sponsor the Annual Spooktacular Downtown Trick-or-Treat on Friday, October 31st beginning at 3:00 pm. Parents are invited to bring their little ghosts and goblins to downtown on Halloween dressed in their scariest costumes. Downtown Trick-or-Treat is a change for families to visit and enjoy the generosity of Downtown merchants as they open their stores and candy jars for Halloween. Parents and kids should look for the posters displayed in the windows of participating stores throughout Downtown Wheaton. Trick-or-treating will continue until 6:00 p.m. or until the treats run out.

For more information on participating stores please visit our website at www.DowntownWheaton.com or contact the Downtown Wheaton Association at 630-682-0633.