Comings & Goings is a new column featuring news on businesses opening, moving or expanding in Naperville and/or closing their doors.
James & Sons now open in Naperville
The Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce welcomed James & Sons Fine Jewelers to town recently with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at their downtown location at 110 S. Washington St.
“We are happy to be here in Naperville,” store manager Hope Geallis said.
Helping welcome the store was Mayor Steve Chirico, who thanked them for choosing to open a store in Naperville.
Christina Caton Kitchel, with Caton Commercial Real Estate Group and chair of the chamber board, thanked owners, James and John Sunderland, for making it a priority to join the chamber.
“James & Sons is a full-service jeweler,” said Geallis, who joined the company last year with an eye toward managing the Naperville store. She has 22 years of experience in the jewelry business.
“We sell fine jewelry across the board,” she said, including engagement rings, gift and watches, as well as offering jewelry repairs and estate and insurance appraisals.
The 2,600-square-foot Naperville store is only the second James & Sons store to feature Rolex watches.
“We’re the only one in the surrounding area in Naperville. Starting in the fall, we will have a jeweler on-site who is certified to make repairs on Rolex watches,” Geallis said.
The Naperville store is the chain’s fourth location. It opened in December and the ribbon cutting grand opening was held May 26 to coincide with the opening of the Rolex counter.
Geallis said they have a staff of six.
James & Sons was started by James Sunderland in a shopping center in Calumet City in 1964. In addition to Naperville, there are stores in Orland Park, Schererville, Indiana, and Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.
Hours at the Naperville location are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
For information, call 630-281-5900 or email to [email protected]
New dining options open their doors
Dining choices in Naperville have expanded in recent weeks with the opening of several new restaurants.
Brown Bag Seafood Co. opened in early June at 1023 S. Washington St. It’s a fast casual seafood restaurant that offers everything from crispy shrimp tacos and grilled salmon salads to fresh slaws and sides. The company says its seafood is flown in fresh daily.
Customers place their orders on an erasable laminated sheet and receive their food in, what else, a brown bag.
Naperville has an outdoor patio as well as a liquor license for beer and wine. Buyer beware: they only accept credit and debit cards.
Brown Bag was started by CEO Donna Lee in 2014 at Millennium Park and has since expanded to Georgia and will soon open three locations in North Carolina.
Naperville is the Chicago chain’s ninth location and the first in the suburbs. A 10th location is expected to open later this summer in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood.
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Hours at Naperville are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sunday.
For information, call 630-364-2619.
If you like your fish raw, Poke Burrito Naperville is now open at 1316 Illinois Route 59.
The name (pronounced POKE-ay) comes from the Hawaiian word that means to slice or cut. The restaurant features sushi and salmon along with various vegetables and sauces in either a “Poke bowl” or stuffed into a “sushi burrito.” Also on the menu is Ramen and bubble tea.
Naperville is the seventh location for Poke Burrito, with an eighth coming later this year to Highland Park.
Poke Burrito has dining, take out, and delivery. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
For information, call 630-914-9898.
If your tastes run more toward dishes inspired by Latin and South America, you might fancy Katrina Latin Bites & Bar.
The family-owned restaurant opened at 2835 Showplace Drive.
The menu includes tapas, seafood, Latin barbecue, arrachera, carnitas, fajitas, drinks and desserts.
There’s a patio to enjoy your meal outside, weather permitting.
Katrina is closed on Monday. Hours are 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday, 4 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, from 3 to 8 p.m. Sunday.
For information, call 331-702-2752 or email [email protected].
Chez Francois Poutinerie, featuring traditional and variations on the French Canadian favorite of french fries and cheese curds topped with a brown gravy, officially opened Monday at 22 E. Chicago Ave.
The classic dish has something of a cult following but you can also be adventurous and order yours such toppings as sausage, bacon, jalapenos, strip steak, cheddar cheese, bernaise sauce or maple syrup. Prices range from $15 to $19.
One of the restaurant’s goals is to employ developmentally disabled adults, including the owner’s son, for whom the restaurant is named.
Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.
For more information, call 630-649-8129.
If you see a new business in town or wonder what happened to an old favorite, drop me a line at [email protected].
Bob Bong is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.