Sewing is a tradition in Madeline Woods's family. Her grandmother sews. Her mom sews. And since she was 5, Woods has sewed, graduating from doing it by hand to using a machine, from stitching bean bags to crafting stuffed animals. But it wasn't until high school that the idea dawned on Woods that her sewing could be something more than a hobby. "I made a purse for sewing class, and one of the girls said, 'I'd totally buy that. You should sell that to me,' " said Woods, who has lived in Frankfort since she was 9. "When she said that, it kind of opened my eyes. Maybe I could sell them. Maybe …

Tommy Ridings likes to do things his way, which sometimes means doing those things a little differently from everyone else. That's why he opened a barbecue restaurant--Smokey Barque--in downtown Frankfort, instead of your average pizza place or burger joint. It's why the restaurant uses a smoker to cook, a technique that gives the meat a unique taste and tenderness. And it's why he enjoys experimenting with different flavors, such as whipping up a white barbecue sauce he calls "The Alabama" that incorporates mayonaise, horseradish and other spices. "You can make a lasagna or a potato salad, …

Over the years, Frankfort has earned a reputation as being a hotbed for antiques. And although that reputation has stuck with the village, the actual presence of antique shops has diminished.  But Carol Wilger and Cindy Vassell want to bring the antiques back to Frankfort, and they've started that mission with Glory Bee, which opened this month "People come to Frankfort and ask 'Where are the antiques?' " Wilger said. "The town is known for its antiques, and we felt that was an opportunity for our business and would bring people to Frankfort." READ: Moving Downtown Becomes Homecoming for …

This summer, Andy Paszko and Kim Baker had to bench their business, Let It Rip Sports.The brother-and-sister owners hadn't lost any of their desire to run the indoor baseball and fast-pitch softball training facility, but when the terms of the lease at their old location changed and they couldn't find a suitable replacement location, the two called it quits."That place was my life," said Paszko, who is also a coach for Lincoln-Way East High School's baseball team. "I was there through December (to) April, May, seven days a week. It became my life. ... To build up to that point and and all…

When Liz and Marty Connolly started to downsize their life earlier this year, the owners of Cottage Creations decided to turn it into a homecoming of sorts, returning the Mokena gift shop to its Frankfort roots. "We decided that (relocating to) Frankfort--since we started here--would be best," said Liz Connolly about the store's move this month. "We tried to find something here available and luckily the first day there was. So it was meant to be to come back to Frankfort." The Connollys opened Cottage Creations in 2000 in Frankfort where The Paper Spot is now. They stayed at that location for…

When it came to opening their new sports bar together in Frankfort, Oak Forest brothers Jack and Jim Dillon have been pretty much in agreement on everything over the past two years it's taken to get their establishment off the ground. Whether it's been settling on the Vinyeards shopping center location or the freshly made items on the unique menu, the Dillons have been working off the same page. But the one thing they couldn't agree on? The bar's name. That is, until someone suggested The Wild Rover. "It's one of our dad's favorite Irish songs, and it was the only one we could ever agree on…

CORRECTION: In an earlier version of this story, the dates he started his dojo in Indiana were incorrect. He started it in 2004. Two things led Tom Revell to open Classical Martial Arts Academy: a terrible commute and the desire for a career change. In 2004, Revell, who has lived in Frankfort for more than a decade, was running a car dealership in Hammond, Ind., and still driving--sometimes as much as two hours a day if traffic was bad--to New Lenox to do his martial arts training. That became too much for Revell, and with the blessing of his sensei, he decided to open up his own dojo in …

Listen to Kirsten Larsen and her mom, Tania Sylvester, talk about their consignment and crafts shop, Etc. Stores, and there's one word that will pop up: balance. It's practically the mantra for this mother-daughter team, especially when they describe their business relationship. "We balance each other out," Sylvester said. "She's more of the business person, and I'm more of the (person who does) decorating, moving things around, finding people. And she's more of the marketer." "And if I freak out about something, she's like, just calm down, it's going to work out, it's going to be all right. …

Walking in to the All Small Miniatures shop in downtown Frankfort is a bit like walking in to a fairy tale of sorts, what with its intricately designed dollhouse furniture and accoutrements. In fact, the passion for the miniature world of dollhouses that owner Hildegard Popoff possesses has its own fairy tale feel as well. Popoff grew up in Germany's Black Forest just before World War II, living with her widowed mother and brother. They had no TV or radio, so to pass the time together, Popoff's mother taught them to sew and do other crafts. "I have always loved little things. I've loved dolls…

To say Jeff Fasel is a horror buff would be an understatement.  Walk into the cubicle he uses at Fawn Landscaping, and you're greeted by a dismembered mad scientist mannequin. His cellphone ringtone plays the theme form Halloween. And when Fasel gives a tour of the 10,000-square-foot haunted house at Creepy Hallow Halloween Fun Park, it's like watching a kid show off a new toy. "Growing up, I rigged speakers in the front yard (to play scary sounds) and had tombstones with my brothers' names on them," said Fasel, who runs this Halloween attraction, which is in its first year at Fawn's …

Pushing through the antique wood frame screen door and stepping onto the well-worn original plank flooring of the Frankfort General Store, you can't help but think of oldtime Frankfort, the village with 1890s charm, as the town slogan read for years. While the store has changed hands over the decades, the building at 119 Kansas St. really hasn't changed purposes in the past 100-plus years. Current owners Carol and Jack Wilger, however, have only owned the store for two and a half of those years. They'll celebrate that accomplishment with an event on Saturday, Oct. 15. "It's really a thank you…

On Nov. 1, Kumon Math and Reading Center will celebrate its year anniversary in Frankfort at its Bankview Drive location. However, this learning center offers more than assistance for struggling students. The Kumon model provides for independent, individualized, longterm support and enrichment for students, said director Leah Kakaletris. "There is no one-on-one tutoring going on," she said. "The children complete worksheets daily to master concepts in our curriculum."  The Kumon program originated 50 years ago in Japan when Toru Kumon created a practice method for his son, who brought home a …

With a target opening date of Sept. 30, Stratagem Laser Missions hopes to hit the mark with a new option for interactive entertainment in Frankfort. Village resident and parent Don Bragiel has been interested in bringing this type of team-based recreation to the area for quite a while now, said Stratagem's manager Sherri Zimmerman. The facility will offer open play and party packages for youth or corporate outings. And it's more than just play time, Zimmerman said. "The goal is team collaboration," she added. "(You) have to all work together and not fight or not argue so you can achieve the …

Frankfort resident David Greco is known as sensei or "master" around Midwest Academy of United Martial Arts. The school, which he founded, brings together seven different styles of Filipino martial arts along with Japanese Kempo, Jeet Kune Do (founded by the late Bruce Lee), grappling and Muay Thai kickboxing. "My whole purpose is to teach those who really want to learn the arts," said Greco, whose classes are geared for ages 10 and older. "I recognize that martial arts isn't for everybody, but we try to provide an environment that allows each student to bring out the best in themselves both …

Last winter, starting her own business, Simplify With Smith, was the last thing on Emily Smith's mind. But Smith, who worked in the development office at Trinity Christian College, began to feel God leading her in a different direction. Smith said the more she prayed and reflected on her career at the college, she repeatedly felt God directing her away from the college and into the unknown. "Lord, what are you doing? You're really stretching me," Smith remembers thinking at the time. One day while continuing to process her situation, she was at home organizing her pantry (which, for her, is a…

Dennis Gravitt, president of Long Run Financial, describes himself as being very debt averse, which has shaped his career in the financial planning business. Gravitt admits that he and his wife had always struggled financially until he stumbled on Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. After catching part of Ramsey's talk on a Kankakee radio station, Gravitt was inspired to buy his whole program. "I got really turned on to getting out of debt," he said. As part of that life change, Gravitt returned to school and earned a finance degree, graduating in 2005 and going to work for Morgan …

White Street Interiors has only been open since May 15, but it has drawn a steady stream of business thanks to drive-by traffic on Old Frankfort Way, said co-owner Becky Groskreutz. "We hadn't done any advertising until last week," she said. In fact, clients have been coming to the interior design business in non-traditional ways. Take Diane Rudnick, for instance. She was at White Street Interiors reviewing fabrics for dining room window treatments in a new home being built by Quantum Building & Design, which is co-owned by Groskreutz and her husband, Todd. Groskreutz's mother, Vickie Hansen…

Amy Peterson is a former legal secretary whose holiday sweet treats for co-workers turned into a sweet little second career. "One year, I decided to do Christmas presents and made caramels and chocolate marshmallows and toffee," said Peterson, whose candy-making eventually turned into Amy Peterson Chocolates. "Everyone told me, 'You've got to be selling this!' " So the next year, she thought she'd be smart and make up pre-holiday order forms. She did $2,000 worth of business, which got her thinking about another career. After several years of filling holiday orders, Peterson decided to branch…

Action Sports got its start in the late 1970s at a trade show when owner Larry Davis was wandering around, trying to occupy himself while his artist wife, Donna, shopped for sweatshirts for her fabric painting business. Davis, then a middle school history teacher and basketball coach, had been told by his school that he was on his own to provide and pay for uniforms for his team. While waiting for Donna, he found a supplier who had just what he needed. The next thing he knew, he had found a partner and was running a T-shirt business on the side out of his house. Davis opted to take early …

This & That Gifts owner Nancy Cartolano just smiles when people stop in her store, thinking they’re coming for tea. Located in the former home of the Pickwick Society Tea Room, Cartolano still gets visitors who don’t know that Pickwick moved west down Kansas Street. But that’s OK. She likes the foot traffic. "I’ve only been open a few months, but it’s going good," she said of her fledgling business, which she described as a unique gift shop that fits the charm of downtown historic Frankfort. Cartolano, who has lived in the community for 24 years, said she loves to shop and decorate. She'd …