Three new businesses have recently opened in Oak Park: 2 Sistah’s Afrocentric Boutique, KB’s Retail and CIMPSAR at Home. Another one, Three Spoons, will soon be available for soft-serve ice cream lovers, too.
Every month, the Village of Oak Park issues licenses for new businesses. By the end of March, the village had issued 21 new business licenses. Out of those 21, 18 are brick-and-mortar businesses, which are located in nine business districts within Oak Park.
“One of the things that just proves how vital the Village of Oak Park is right now is that we have businesses opening in every business district,” said Cameron Davis, the village’s economic vitality administrator.
2 Sistah’s Afrocentric Boutique is a shop located at 262 Chicago Ave. that sells clothing, accessories, purses and jewelry. Charman Dortch, who co-owns the business with her sister, Karen Quarles, said they were inspired by their mother, who sold quality merchandise to low-income neighborhoods.
Dortch and Quarles each had online businesses selling similar items but decided to collaborate and open 2 Sistah’s in Oak Park. The Afrocentric collection, which includes high quality dresses, is especially popular, Dortch said.
Dresses part of the Afrocentric collection at 2 Sistah’s Afrocentric Boutique are shown April 29, 2024. Credit: Luzane Draughon 
Some of the accessories at 2 Sistah’s Afrocentric Boutique are pictured. Credit: Luzane Draughon 
Shell necklaces and bracelets at 2 Sistah’s Afrocentric Boutique are shown. Credit: Luzane Draughon 
Charman Dortch (left) and Karen Quarles (right) are pictured holding a photo of their mother at the grand opening of 2 Sistah’s Afrocentric Boutique. Credit: Courtesy
2 Sistah’s opened in March and business has been slowly growing, Dortch said. Customers can expect a relaxing environment when shopping, she said, with hands-on customer service.
“Customers are our number one priority,” she said. “When we give good customer service, we know that our customers become our voice.”
Now, 2 Sistah’s is open by appointment only during the weekdays. On Saturday, they’re open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The hours may change in June.
CIMPSAR at Home, another new business in Oak Park, provides home healthcare services, Davis said. Clients can sign contracts with the business and have caretakers come into their homes to help loved ones. CIMPSAR is located at 101 Madison St.
“We’re glad to have them here in town,” Davis said.
KB’s Retail is a new smoke shop located at 7101 North Ave., where another smoke shop had been located. When businesses close and vacancies occur, Davis said, the village works to ensure spaces are quickly rented and utilized again.
“In every community you go to, there’s always the ebb and flow of businesses opening and closing,” he said. “We try to work with businesses to ensure their success.”
An asset of Oak Park is its competitive advantage, said Emily Egan, the village’s development services director. The village works to talk to business owners to understand their challenges, how to help them be successful and ways to make their business even more attractive, she said.
In addition to these new businesses, one that is on the horizon is Three Spoons, a soft-serve ice cream shop. Jim and Nicole Cahill, co-owners of Three Spoons, said their shop will be located at 133 N. Ridgeland Ave. The name for the business was inspired by their three daughters, Nicole said.
Construction started at the end of February, she said, and they’re hoping it will be finished within the next month. After that, a health inspection and finalizing their business license, Three Spoons will be ready to open.
Three Spoons will sell vanilla and chocolate soft-serve ice cream, but the co-owners said they may add shakes, malts and sundaes to the menu, too. Nicole said they want to explore non-dairy options as well. Quality over quantity is what’s important to them.
“We’ve always been big fans of simple concept restaurants,” Jim said. “We don’t want to have an endless amount of items.”
Their hours will be noon to 9 p.m. at first, but may change depending on demand.
“Everybody in Oak Park wants ice cream in the summer,” Nicole said. “We’re just excited for them to try it.”
There’s a wide variety of businesses in Oak Park, Egan said, which supports the village’s push for economic vitality, she said, and some even give locals more options for nightlife and entertainment.
“I like that [variety] in terms of servicing the community and having hopefully everything that you would need right in your own community, right in Oak Park.”
Last year, Oak Park issued 103 business licenses. It’s possible the village will match that number again this year, Davis said, but it’s not their goal.
“Our main goal isn’t to look at the numbers, it’s to fill available spaces, to match up the right business with the right space,” Davis said. “Then they’re more likely to last and to make money in that space and offer good services to the residents.”
Shopping at local, small businesses has a strong impact on the community, Egan said, and helps shape the village. Local businesses also tend to employ local residents, Davis pointed out.
“That quality of life is so closely associated with economic vitality,” Egan said.
Supporting local businesses can also be more environmentally friendly and sustainable, Davis said, because residents can walk or bike to them easily rather than driving. Oak Park has businesses scattered across all its districts, rather than having one center, Davis said, which allows residents to spend their dollars locally.
New businesses also have the benefit of six months of Oak Park River Forest Chamber of Commerce membership for free, which allows for networking and resources.
