Vino 100 opens 'Shoppes'
A new wine shop that opened in Mount Prospect is designed to make buying a bottle of wine easy and affordable.
Jennifer Martinez opened a Vino 100 franchise earlier this month at 110 S. Emerson St. in the new Shoppes at the Emerson.
Martinez said she carries 100 great wines for $25 or less. She added that they're all from small private vineyards and not typically found in grocery stores. The staff is trained to help customers decide what type of wine to buy.
"We're user friendly," the owner said. "It's a new way to buy wine, simply based on flavor and body is the motto at the shop," she added. Descriptions of the wines are also printed on cards near the bottles.
Martinez has always enjoyed wine and was interested in starting a business.
She used to teach high school biology in Lakeland, Fla., prior to launching the business. She moved with her husband, Omar, back to this area to be closer to family. It was Omar and his father, who lives in Puerto Rico, who originally came up with the idea for the business.
"I found Vino 100 and I fell in love with the concept," Martinez said.
Martinez, 28, and he husband live in Arlington Heights where they are raising a 20-month-old son, Carlos.
A popular wine at the shop is Red Flyer from California. Customers are first attracted to the UFO on the label, but come back for the taste of the wine. Thirsty Fish, a private label for the store, is another poplar line of reds and whites.
The store also features gift items including glasses, accessories, games, gourmet foods and oils.
Other area franchise locations are found in Algonquin, Geneva and Naperville.
The store is open from noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.
For more information, call (847) 253-8466.
Seventh harvest: Urban Harvest, An Indulgent Food Store in Arlington Heights is celebrating its seventh anniversary.
Mary Ellen Hogan owns the gourmet food store at 15 S. Dunton Ave.
An educational class on red wine runs on Tuesday and a wine and cheese class is set for Oct. 10. Several other classes, ranging from $20 to $38, are planned. To register, call (847) 632-0860.
Dance and exercise: Jazzercize, a popular dance fitness program, announced the opening of its newest fitness center.
Shannon Bradley owns the center at 1294 E. Dundee Road in Palatine, where she offers 21 classes weekly.
Classes formerly held at the World Gym and the US Elite Martial Arts Center will now take place at the new fitness center.
A new home: The Barrington Home Shoppe, formerly the Canterbury Shoppe, is in a new location at the historic Ice House Mall, 200 Applebee St. in Barrington.
Owners Rusty Hernandez and Cynthia Bear expanded the collection of upscale artisan gifts, fine tabletop items, home accents, one-of-a-kind artisan furnishings and holiday collectibles. The store had outgrown its space.
The Canterbury Shoppe had been recognized by Chicago Magazine as one of the area's "best stores to shop" while being named one of the top stores in Illinois by Vietri and Mariposa, two luxury table-top and home accessory brands.
Time for a change: After 23 years, D. Stallman, founder of Haskana Institute of Hair Design in Palatine, is now semi-retired and turning her cosmetology school over to Aimee Schimanski, former student and instructor.
Schimanski will serve as the new director and will bring a freshness and excitement to the school located at 341 W. Northwest Hwy. in Stevens Point Plaza, Stallman said.
The name of the salon is comprised from letters taken from the words hair, skin and nails.