Hinsdale's Newest Shop Owners Are Neighbors Who Were Already Customers

"We want them to think Toni is back there somewhere," Craig Zoberis joked when he talked about buying Toni's Patisserie & Café. He and his two partners weren't eager for Hinsdale to know they had bought the Washington Street bakery. Their goal is for the change to go unnoticed.

The same thing is happening around town. This fall, much of the change behind Hinsdale's storefronts comes from residents. A bakery regular now owns the bakery. A 20-year resident is buying and restoring the buildings at First and Washington. Up on York Road, a resident opened a children's bookshop in a shopping center the village had been trying to fill. People who already live in Hinsdale, and already spend money here, are deciding what goes behind the glass.

The Recipes Came With the Sale

Twenty-five years ago, Craig and Tracy Zoberis served a white chocolate mousse wedding cake from Toni's. A few weeks before the sale was announced, Toni Cox remade the top tier for their early anniversary. This time, Zoberis was one of the owners.

Zoberis bought the business earlier this year with fellow Hinsdale residents Mark Konieczka and Tom Wake. The sellers were Cox and her husband, Paul Pell, who opened the shop 32 years ago. The deal nearly went to someone else. Zoberis spotted a listing in November from Eatz, a broker that sells restaurants, and recognized the business from the description. Cox already had a buyer at the time. That deal fell through in the first week of January, and the broker called Zoberis.

All three owners bring outside experience. Wake comes from wholesale distribution and says he is "failing at my recent retirement." Konieczka has worked in commercial real estate. His wife, Stephanie, studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, and the couple once considered opening a cupcake shop in Hinsdale. Wake describes Zoberis as a serial entrepreneur and engineer.

For regulars, the recipes are what matter. Cox's recipes came with the sale, and the favorites will still be made her way. Cox described the files as handwritten, typed and digital, "some stains on them to show they have been very well used, kind of like an old cookbook." Cox is staying on through the transition, and director of operations Steve Rennau is staying in his role.

Two changes are planned. Liquor licenses in Hinsdale don't transfer to new owners, so Toni's has been without one since the sale. The new owners applied for a license that adds spirits to the beer and wine the café used to pour. According to a village memo, they don't plan to serve alcohol during the early breakfast hours. The village also says the café plans to add dinner service. Trustees spoke in favor of the license in September, and the Village Board scheduled its vote for Oct. 6. No start date for dinner has been announced. "Perhaps there are bloody Marys in the future," Konieczka said.

Five Buildings in a Short Walk

A block away, the same kind of ownership change is happening to the buildings. Pete Tortorello and his company, Fairfield Properties, have bought five downtown buildings since November. The four being renovated this year are on or near the southwest corner of First and Washington, and he says, "I can walk from building to building." His first purchase, in November 2025, was 11-21 E. First St., home to 10 Friends, Sweet William and Blue Mercury. His own office is upstairs. He describes many of his investors as local.

Here's what's planned for each building:

1. 102 S. Washington St. Alixandra Blue on the garden level and Studio W. on the first floor stay put. John Papenhausen built this building in 1888 for his tailoring business, and his family of eight lived on the second floor. It was the only commercial building on the south side of First Street at the time. The upper floors are being turned into a three-bedroom, two-level "Owners Unit" with a view of downtown from the turret window.
2. 8-10 W. First St. Tortorello calls this one the "yellow house." Crews are adding gray siding and upgrading the HVAC and electrical systems. When the work is done, it will house Frame Bridge, a national online custom framing company.
3. The small building behind 8-10 W. First. This 700-square-foot former salon is getting a bay window, skylights and a relocated door that lines up with the walkway to First Street. The current parking area could become a paver patio.
4. 104-106 S. Washington St. The second-floor offices above My Eye Doctor will become four one-bedroom apartments as the current leases end. That change requires adding sprinklers throughout the building.

The small building behind the yellow house is the one to watch for a new place to eat. "It could be a food use. It could be retail. It could be anything," Tortorello said. "I think we need more food options for quick bites in Hinsdale."

He also sees demand for apartments downtown. By his estimate, downtown Hinsdale has 20 to 25 apartments, and most are vintage units "tucked away" where people don't notice them. He pictures them working for longtime residents who sell a house but want to stay in town in a smaller place.

"I'm trying to create homes for businesses so they can be successful."

Tortorello also noted that many downtown buildings owned by the same families for decades have recently changed hands. As those buildings are improved, he said, rents will go up. So the shops you'll see on First Street next year depend in part on who can afford the renovated spaces.

The North End Picks Up a Bookshop

At the north end of the village, Gateway Square at 777 N. York Road, near Ogden, opened in 1985. It has two one-story buildings with about 38,800 square feet and 246 parking spaces. In February 2024, the village's Economic Development Commission noted closures there, and village staff have been working to fill the empty units.

Alison Kozlow, a Hinsdale resident since February 2020, opened The Book Nook there on Aug. 12. She designed the blue-and-green shop and picked every title herself. The store can be rented for birthday parties and book clubs, and she plans to add story times and author readings. Paris312 opened next door. The party decor company ran online for 10 years and once had a store in Lincoln Park. Its new shop has a retail side facing the courtyard and a production side stocked with balloons, including about 20 shades of teal and blue. The two shops held a joint grand opening on Sept. 19.

Longtime tenants are expanding too. In February, Michele Zayed's I Design Salon & Blow Dry Bar moved to a larger unit in the center and tripled its space. Kozlow pointed out that every business to open at Gateway Square in the past year is female-owned.

The landlord is spending money here as well. Five Kings Properties bought the center in 2025. Property manager Ramis Memishi says the plan includes a rebuilt courtyard, new signage, repaving and new lighting, all targeted for 2027. "No surface is being left untouched," he said. When he presented early plans in May, commissioners responded well and suggested a new name, "Gateway on York." The former Hua Ting space and a two-story unit empty since Fox's Pizza left in 2018 are still vacant, and Memishi says filling them with restaurants is a priority.

What's Announced but Not Open Yet, as of Oct. 4

Sage, owned by Bianca Castlebuono, will take about 2,800 square feet. The Village Board approved its special use permit 4-0 on Jan. 20. Plans include yoga, meditation, spa treatments, contrast therapy suites and an elixir bar.

Humble Patty is another local operator expanding. Sam and Patricia Vlahos, who own Fuller House, plan smashburgers and soft-serve in the former Dips & Dogs space on Garfield. The village approved the site and exterior plans but won't issue an occupancy permit until a safety barrier is installed. The village's most recent monthly permit report, for August, shows no occupancy permit for the address.

October Dates for Meeting the New Owners

Several events this month are good chances to stop in and say hello:

• Oct. 5 and 12: The Hinsdale Farmers Market's last two Mondays, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Burlington Park, 30 E. Chicago Ave.
• Oct. 8: The Chamber's 7th Annual Wine Walk, 5 to 8 p.m., with downtown retailers as stops. The Chamber's event list shows registration as closed, so check with the Chamber before you go.
• Oct. 15: Ribbon-cutting at Herbal Touch Wellness & Spa, second floor of 10 E. Hinsdale Ave. Open house 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., ribbon-cutting at noon.
• Oct. 17: Hinsdale Fall Sidewalk Sale on downtown streets, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Oct. 24: Hinsdale Family Fall Fest, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., free, including trick-or-treating downtown.

The holidays will be the first big test for Toni's new owners. "The fourth quarter is always a huge thing for us and a lot of work," Cox said, and the owners are planning for the holiday rush now.

Downtown buildings are changing hands, and how each one is presented helps decide what it becomes. If you own a Hinsdale property with a history worth telling, Judy Gibbons can help you plan what comes next. Start Your Home Story by scheduling a consultation.