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Archive for the ‘Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce’ Category

Barrington-area economic summit set for Wednesday

Posted in Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce, One Barrington Hills, Politics on February 6, 2023| Leave a Comment »

BC 2

Barrington Hills Village President Brian Cecola

The Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce will host an economic summit, “State of the Greater Barrington Area,” from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8, at Barrington’s White House, 145 W. Main St. in Barrington.

Village officials from Barrington and surrounding communities will update local business leaders and the community on current economic conditions and what lies ahead for the area.

The public is invited to attend the event, which includes pastries, coffee, networking and the program. Cost to attend is $10 (cheap). Register at www.BarringtonChamber.com.

Confirmed speakers to date include: Barrington Village Manager Scott Anderson; Barrington Hills Village President Brian Cecola; Deer Park Village President Greg Rusteberg; Killdeer Village President Nandia Black; Lake Barrington Village Administrator Karen Daulton-Lange; Long Grove Village President Bill Jacob; North Barrington Village President Eleanor Sweet McDonnell; Port Barrington Village President Keith Vogeler; and South Barrington Village President Paula McCombie.

Editorial note: Hopefully the summit presentations will be recorded and distributed so we might share President Cecola’s “pearls of wisdom” with residents.

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Barrington Chamber scholarship applications are now available

Posted in Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce, Community Alerts on January 19, 2023| Leave a Comment »

BACC Winners

The 2022 BACC Lauren Brown Memorial Scholarship Award Recipients were, from left: Alejandra Vega, Jack Hayden, Tyler Groom, Maiya Foster, Kaelyn Deacon and Lily Dale. Scholarship recipients not pictured: Kaleb Koch, Annika Llerena and Josh Wickstrom. (Courtesy of Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce)

Submitted by Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce

Applications for the 2023 Lauren Brown Memorial Scholarship are now available from the Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce (BACC) at www.BarringtonChamber.com, or through the chamber office at 190 E. James St., in Barrington. Eligible students must be from the Barrington area, or the student of an employee of a chamber member business.

BACC awards the scholarships each spring to local high school students pursuing higher education through a university, community college or vocational/trade certification program. Scholarships range from $500 to $1,500. There are no restrictions regarding race, religion, nationality, gender or physical ability.

To be eligible, the completed application and all supporting documents must be received no later than March 15. All supporting documents should be single-sided. Incomplete applications will be disqualified. Please return the complete package to: Scholarship Committee, BACC, 190 E. James St., Barrington, IL 60010. For information, call (847) 381-2525.

Only completed applications with required information will qualify for consideration. The scholarship is not based on financial need. The award recipient will be notified no later than April 12. The scholarship award will be made out directly to the recipient with documented acceptance at their school of choice. Award recipients will be asked to attend an April 27 lunch at Biltmore Country Club in their honor and must be willing to have their name and photo used for publicity purposes.

The scholarship is named after Lauren Brown, who worked for the chamber for several years and lost her battle with cancer at the age of 29.

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The Barn celebrates opening of its new Barrington location

Posted in Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce, Topics Of Interest on December 18, 2022| Leave a Comment »

The Barn

Ribbon-cutting attendees included: Tom Kusmerz, Martha Mendez, Destiny Cassano, Ken Averett, LeeAnne Lober, Jennifer McLean, Dinka Petrova, John Sutter and Julie Joyce (The Barn); Linda Kusmerz, Jack Kusmerz and Colin Joyce; Bob Finley (Virtue Asset Management); Brett Koenig (Crissie Insurance Group); Linda Gump (Jovie Childcare Reimagined); Karen Darch (village of Barrington); Heidi Seagren (Compass-Heidi Seagren/Seagren Fine Homes Team); and Suzanne Corr (Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce).

The Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce gathered with the village of Barrington for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 7, to celebrate the opening of the new location of The Barn at 237 W. Main St. in Barrington.

“The Barn is a third-generation landscape architecture business with over 55 years of experience, and we are thrilled to open our new location in downtown Barrington, where walk-ins are always welcome,” said owner Tom Kusmerz.

“Our creative team focuses on residential landscape architecture and construction, providing clients with custom designs to enhance their outdoor space.”

The Barn offers full-scale landscape design and construction to create beautiful and functional outdoor spaces the entire family can enjoy. From private gardens and gourmet outdoor kitchens to resort-style pools and backyards, their team of experienced designers make outdoor living spaces come alive.

For information, call (847) 658-3883 or visit www.barnlandscape.com.

Submitted by Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce

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Local focus: How chambers of commerce are enticing shoppers to suburban downtowns

Posted in Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce, Organizations, South Barrington, Taxes on November 13, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Woodfield

Black Friday shopping at Woodfield Mall Friday November 26, 2021 in Schaumburg. (Brian Hill | Staff Photographer)

At local chambers of commerce around the suburbs, the quest has begun: To convince people to shop with their feet instead of their thumbs, in quaint storefronts instead of in big boxes.

In other words, how do they convince residents to buy local instead of ordering off Amazon.com or heading to a giant retailer like Target or Walmart?

How do they convince suburbanites to keep their money in their community instead of sending it off to some distant corporate headquarters?

“After COVID especially I think everyone realized how important local really is,” said Allison Orr, executive director of the Downtown Wheaton Association. “And everyone looks for things to do and ways to support their own community. And I think Wheaton has been exceptional at that. Our community has been so supportive of entrepreneurs and local business, and I think if you look at the composition of downtown Wheaton, you’ll see that.”

You’ll see it in Barrington too, where local merchants create the kind of hometown atmosphere that entices people to move to suburbs like Barrington, Wheaton, Glenview, Naperville and St. Charles.

“Absolutely, shopping local supports the small businesses, and you need shops that create character in your community,” said Suzanne Corr, Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO.

“They’re adding local jobs to your community. They’re also adding the gathering spaces that bring families together and enhance the quality of life in your community. Small businesses are owned and operated by local families who live, work and invest here. They’re involved here, they raise their kids here, they pay their taxes here supporting infrastructure and schools in your community.”

Read more here.

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Barrington Chamber offers community map, other resources

Posted in Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce, Entertainment, Real Estate on October 25, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Chamber guide

The 2022 Barrington Area Regional Map is available at the Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce office, 190 E. James St., Barrington.

The new Barrington Area Regional Map is now available at the Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce office, 190 E. James St., in Barrington.

BACC is a central clearing house of important local resource information, pamphlets, guides and more, all free to the community. Multiple copies of the map are available for a small fee.

“As a go-to resource, we are proud to house a number of publications that are in demand to local residents and visitors to the region,” said Suzanne Corr, BACC president/CEO.

“Our Welcome Neighbor bags are popular with local Realtors and residents, and our Barrington Area Map is one of the most requested publications we offer.”

BACC has free Welcome Neighbor bags, regional magazines, community guides, area maps and business resource information available to the public in its front lobby. The chamber lobby is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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Barrington Village Unveils Plans for Proposed Park Avenue Plaza with Outdoor Dining, Gathering, Green Space

Posted in Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce, DARCHED, Elections, Entertainment, FUBAR, Politics, Property Taxes, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Traffic on October 11, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Editorial note: In a clear effort to further “DARCH” already struggling retailers, the Village of Barrington is considering eliminating parking on Park Avenue.

Park Avenue

“Today the Village of Barrington unveiled proposed concept plans for Park Avenue Plaza, a community gathering space and al fresco dining opportunity they hope to create in downtown Barrington. To do so, they’d permanently close a stretch of Park Avenue east of Cook Street, creating community space for outdoor dining and gathering with overhead string lights, Adirondack chairs, benches, open lawn, planters, landscaping, water fountains and additional pedestrian walkways.

Park Avenue Plaza would only impact parking directly outside McGonigal’s Pub, not the existing parking adjacent to the Metra train tracks where the Barrington Farmers Market used to be.

Village President, Karen Darch, says this would be a priority project they’d bring to life in the next couple of years should Village of Barrington voters approve the Home Rule Referendum on the ballot in the November 8th election. Early voting is already underway.

Village trustees, along with Karen Darch, say approval of Home Rule means the Village of Barrington could benefit from a projected $1-million+ increase in annual revenue from a 1% Home Rule Sales Tax that would NOT impact groceries, prescription drugs or auto sales. Instead, it would be paid, in part, by non-Village residents who patronize local restaurants and businesses. They’d use those funds to invest in roads, sidewalks, bike paths and beautification for the Village of Barrington, among other projects.

The proposed Park Avenue Plaza is one of many local improvements Village leaders hope to advance if voters approve the referendum which only about 43% of voters approved when it was last on the ballot back in 2014.”

More here.

Related: “Father and son teaming up to open new Barrington bistro”

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Enjoy a ‘sipping Saturday’ at Barrington Wine Walk

Posted in Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce, Entertainment, Organizations on September 21, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Booz

“The Barrington Wine Walk offers an opportunity to sample different wines while browsing the shops of the village’s downtown from 2-6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8.

Tickets, $30 per person, include access to a sample pour at each merchant location, souvenir wineglass, a map of the wine-tasting locations, and a list to check off each tasting sample. Participants must be 21 or older and present valid identification.

Check-in begins at 2 p.m. at Neoteca, 130 S. Hough St. in Barrington. Tickets are limited and sell out quickly; visit www.barringtonchamber.com.

Participating businesses include: Anderson’s Candy Shop, Angelina, Barrington Flower Shop, Barrington’s White House, Edyta Fine Art and Design, Estate Jewelers LTD, Fancy Art, N.F.P., Flesk Brewing Co., Kamala’s Own Perfumery, Kate Marker Home, Long & Co. Jewelers, M.J. Miller & Co., Inc., Marvin’s Toy Store, McGonigal’s Pub, Moretti’s Barrington, One Girl, Savvy Spirit Women’s Clothing & Accessories, Shirley’s Piano Bar, Skin Wellness by Renee, Tootsies Women’s & Children’s Shoes and Vin Chicago.

The event will be held rain or shine. Ticket sales are final and support small businesses in our community. All sampling must take place inside merchant locations. This event will be conducted with COVID-conscious safety measures in place, and by process of attending this event, participants are confirming they are free of COVID symptoms.

The event is sponsored by The Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce and the Village of Barrington. For details, call (847) 381-2525 or visit www.BarringtonChamber.com.”

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Classic Collectors Car Show in downtown Barrington shows off owners’ love for retro vehicles

Posted in Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce, Entertainment on July 27, 2022| Leave a Comment »

69 Jag

Todd Rieke stands with his 1969 E Type Jaguar, the “Best European” Award winner at the Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce 2nd Classic Collectors Car Show.

Submitted by Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce

Nearly 80 classic car owners and more than 600 attendees enjoyed a beautiful day in downtown Barrington viewing and voting for their favorite cars on Saturday, July 9, at the 2nd Classic Collectors Car Show hosted by the Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce.

“After getting rained out on June 25, the weather couldn’t have been better on Saturday for our free, family-friendly event in support of small business and Main Street Retailers in Barrington,” said Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Suzanne Corr.

“The feedback we received from car owners and community members was extremely positive. With the generous support of our sponsors, great music, delicious food from our vendors, and help from our hardworking volunteers, the show was a great success.”

Awards were presented to car owners in the following categories: “People’s Choice” to Mike Hasanov for his 1958 Ford Fairlane; “Best European” to Todd Rieke for his 1969 E Type Jaguar; “Best American” to Mike Maggio for his 1969 Plymouth Road Runner; “Mint Condition” to Ted Mikos for his 1968 Pontiac Grand Prix; “Retro Relic” to James Bramsen’s 1932 Ford Deuce Coupe; and “Most Unique” to Lee Abrahams for his 1954 Kaiser Darrin.

Outdoor music was provided by Chris Wayman of Hot Tracks DJs, and Twisted Burger Barrington sold food and refreshments at the show.

“Collecting classic cars is more than a hobby, it is about preserving a story and a piece of history,” Corr said. “Classic car collectors pour their enthusiasm, energy, and, yes, money, into restoring and showing vintage vehicles. Owning classic cars can be irresistible and emotionally compelling for the stories they represent. They capture the art and history of engineering and design,” she said.

For details on other BACC community events, including the Family Expo on Aug. 20, in Citizens Park and the Barrington Area TasteFest on Oct. 19 at Wild Onion Brewery, visit www.BarringtonChamber.com.

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Barrington chamber to host its classic car show June 25

Posted in Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce, Entertainment on June 21, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Car Show

Submitted by Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce

Back by popular demand, the Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce will host its second Classic Collectors Car Show from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 25, in downtown Barrington in the BMO Harris lot at Cook and E. Lake streets.

“The success of our inaugural Classic Collectors Car Show last summer confirmed the decision to once again host this free, family-friendly event in support of small business and Main Street Retailers,” said Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Suzanne Corr.

“We have a high concentration of Classic Car Collectors in our area and in Northwest Illinois and want to celebrate these cars by displaying them to the community.”

The event will feature a lot full of display cars, outdoor music, food and refreshments for purchase from local vendors, as well as awards for cars in the following categories: “People’s Choice,” “Best European,” “Best American,” “Mint Condition,” “Retro Relic,” and “Most Unique.”

“Collecting classic cars is more than a hobby, it is about preserving a story and a piece of history,” Corr said. “Owning classic cars can be irresistible and emotionally compelling for the stories they represent. They capture the art and history of engineering and design.”

To nominate a car for display for the June 25 Car Show, email Communications@BarringtonChamber.com and include the car owner’s name, street address and telephone number (cell); as well as vehicle information, year, make and model.

Cars must be approved and accepted in advance. No day-of registration will be allowed. Sponsorship opportunities are also available.

For information about the chamber, email Suzanne@BarringtonChamber.com. For details about the Classic Collectors Car Show, visit www.BarringtonChamber.com.

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Enjoy ‘Sipping Saturday’ at Barrington Wine Walk

Posted in Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce, Entertainment on May 3, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Lush

Participants enjoy the Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2021 Wine Walk. The chamber will host its 2022 event from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday May 7, in downtown Barrington. For tickets, http://www.barringtonchamber.com.

By Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce

The Barrington Wine Walk, sponsored by The Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce and the village of Barrington, will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 7, in downtown Barrington.

Attendees are invited to enjoy a “Sipping Saturday” while visiting many unique stores in the downtown area and sampling wine provided by participating merchants.

Check-in begins at 2 p.m. at Neoteca, 130 S. Hough St., in Barrington. Tickets are limited and sell out quickly. For a link to purchase tickets, visit www.barringtonchamber.com.

The cost is $25 per person, which includes access to a sample pour at each merchant location, souvenir wineglass, a map of the wine-tasting locations, and a list to check off each tasting sample.

Attendees must be 21 years of age or older and present valid identification to participate.

Businesses participating as stops include: Anderson’s Candy Shop, Angelina, Barrington Flower Shop, Barrington’s White House, Brilliant Home Services, Cashmere & Chrome, Edyta Fine Art and Design, Estate Jewelers LTD, Fancy Art, N.F.P., Kamala’s Own Perfumery, Kate Marker Home, Long & Co. Jewelers, M.J. Miller & Co., Inc., Marvin’s Toy Store, McGonigal’s Pub, Moretti’s Barrington, One Girl, SABI Studio, Savvy Spirit Women’s Clothing & Accessories, Shirley’s Piano Bar, Skin Wellness by Renee, Social Design Club, and Tootsies Women’s & Children’s Shoes.

The event will be held rain or shine. Ticket sales are final and support small businesses in the community. All sampling must take place inside merchant locations. This event will be conducted with COVID safety measures in place. By process of attending this event, participants are confirming they are free of COVID symptoms.

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