SWEITZER NURSERY,LLC
Not only were Lake Carroll residents selling things from their garage, they were selling things you could put in your garage: Tom and Becky Janopolous (top) were selling a Firebird, pickup truck and a 2002 Suzuki Intruder (sorry, mannequin not included); Dominick DeMaria’s 2013 Can-Am Spider was on the market (above left); Lisa Vickers was parting with her 2016 Arctic Cat ATV (right); Mary Shamie’s had some motorcycle bookends for sale, and Roman Cirignani had some riding gear: Harley jackets (top right). Vehicles weren’t the only thing you could take for a spin: You could also pick up some 45’s.
Landscape Design & Installation
Landscape Design & Installation
Seeding * Sodding
Locally Grown Nursery Stock
Seeding * Sodding
Evergreens * Shade Trees * Perennials
Locally Grown Nursery Stock
Evergreens * Shade Trees * Perennials
Hardscape Installation * Stone Walks
Hardscape Installation * Stone Walks
Retaining Walls * Fireplaces
Retaining Walls * Fireplaces
Sea Walls * Rip Rap
Sea Walls * Rip Rap
Maintenance * Mowing * Tree Removal
Maintenance * Mowing * Tree Removal
Mulch Delivery * Snow Removal
Mulch Delivery * Snow Removal
Licensed Pesticide Applicator
Licensed Pesticide Applicator
Mitch Manden was selling some Egyptian Tarot cards, while elsewhere, one of the sales in Section 26 had a German card game, Skat, which is similar to Bridge.
Winter’s not that far away, and garage sellers had the gear to get people in the mood, like a dancing Santa at Roman Cirignani’s sale. Also up for grabs was a snow globe at Maggie Murphy’s sale; Tammy Chatman’s Grinch mug (from her Anne Mae Creations, which sells custom-made apparel and mugs, wooden home decor, and luxury Coconut-Soy candles); and a toboggan at a sale in Section 17.
There wasn’t much you couldn’t find at Lake Carroll’s garage sales —a box of old Scoldy Lox hair pins at a sale in Section 4, a bear bench at Paul and Rosemary Gonzales’ sale, a Yeti cooler promotional piece (with storage space inside the big can) for sale in Section 4 — and yes, even a portable sauna, at Tom Janopolous’ sale.
Dolly Gieseke
From top: A fan of the Prophetstown Prophets could pick up this football helmet at Jeanette Jorgensen’s sale. John Kostovich had a portable golf practice set for sale. People could pick up some pickleball paddles at Tom and Becky Janopolous’s sale.
Lana Soldat was selling a colorful pitcher at her sale, and Nick and Kayla Block were selling black-and-white ones — pictures, that is; a two-piece diptych set of wall art.
Dick Van Dyke would have made a trip to snag this deal: a free ottoman that was up for grabs in Section 4.
Don Pool (left) of Lake Carroll helps carry out a cabinet bought by Brian Banks of Oswego.
Penny and Nate Peterson left the city life in 2011 to settle on their farm near Lena, growing vegetables for the first five years before opening Wishful Acres Farm and Brewery there in 2016.
acres farm and brewery
By
ometimes, you need glasses to see a business opportunity.
Take the case of a Lena couple who were growing produce and selling it at farmers markets. Nate and Penny Peterson were part of the farm-to-table movement, a growing trend toward connecting people with locally produced food — that is until Nate’s hobby turned into the inspiration for the couple to put their own twist on the trend.
These days, the fruits and vegetables of their labor are going from farm to tap.
Certified organic peaches, apples, and even jalapenos and basil grown on Nate and Penny Peterson’s 10-acre Lena farm are ending up in their brewing kegs and flowing from the taps at Wishful Acres Farm and Brewery, where agriculture and craft beer are inseparably tied.
With year-round staples such as a peach mango fruit ale and Llama Slobber (a light blonde that tastes better than its name), the brewery offers 11 different types of beer on tap at any given time, each with its own flavor profile, and others are available in bottles. In addition, the menu also offers one of the couple’s other nearly 225 recipes — or other flavors they may try out — with a different selection rotating in and out every two to three weeks. With about two or three new beers introduced per month, beer connoisseurs can try around 30 new varieties in a year.
WISHFUL cont’d to page 14
wishful
PENNY PETERSON
Cody Cutter . Sauk Valley Media
cont’d from page 13
Want to try more than one? Flights are available with four to six samples in 6-ounce glasses. Take-home growlers — 32- and 64-ounce — can also be ordered.
Wishful Acres also blends its own root beer, which is available year-round.
Visitors can enjoy the brews from an indoor taproom, outside on a deck, or even from the Petersons’ back yard, under the shade of the same trees that bear fruit for the
beer. Located on a country road, the farm/brewery is an escape from the daily distractions of a busier day, providing a calm and relaxed atmosphere.
“I can’t think of anywhere else that I know that has their products going into their beer,” Penny said. “It’s located literally in our back yard. It’s ‘out in the middle of nowhere,’ people like to tell us. It’s quiet and people like to come and sit outside here. I think that’s an experience you really don’t get anywhere else — maybe in a winery that’s out in the country, but as far as breweries go, there’s not a lot that’s out in the country. You’re out in our orchard drinking our beer.”
WISHFUL cont’d to page 15
situation.
WISHFUL
“We’re flexible, and we’re not stuck with having to make large quantities of the same beer all of the time,” Nate said. “Since we’re a small place, we’re always
and over and over again.”
The Petersons’ venture began as a dream of country living, a lifestyle they welcome those from more urban communities to enjoy a taste of when they visit.
The family started farming in 2009 on rented land while living in Freeport. Two years later, they purchased the 10-acres that would became Wishful Acres; the name a nod to their wish that they would one day have their own farm.
WISHFUL cont’d to page 16
It originally began as just a farm, and Penny sold their vegetables at farmers markets. The brewery aspect came a few years later, taking root in Nate’s interest in craft brewing — a fitting choice for someone who lived in Freeport, which was a major brewing hub in the Midwest from the 1850s to the 1930s.
Penny bought Nate a home brew kit in 2008, and a casual hobby quickly grew into an passion.
“She bought me my first home brew kit, and by the time I was done going through the first kit, I was already ordering three more,” Nate said. “I was having such a good time doing it. I made beer as a hobby from time to time and my brothers and I would get together to do it. I was always taking the next step with brewing. I got to a certain step in home brewing before I started doing it professionally, and it was just a natural progression.”
That natural progression became what Nate called a “culinary art.”
“It was just how easy and simple it was. I thought it was something much more complex as you get more and more into it. I just fell in love with making my own beer and doing it all by myself.”
Penny and Nate Peterson take a bite out of a peach from their orchard at Wishful Acres Farm and Brewery in Lena. Peach mango ale is a year-round offering at the brewery.
CUTTER/CCUTTER@SHAWMEDIA.COM
WISHFUL cont’d from page 16
That passion turned into a profession when Wishful Acres Brewery opened in 2016 inside a barn on the farm. Since then, the Petersons have developed a reputation for their creative small-batch beers infused with flavors from their own land, which also includes pumpkins, lemon balm, mulberries, black raspberries and radishes.
Fruity beers are the top sellers, Penny said, and the top-selling seasonal sud is Oktoberfest, brewed in the largest batch every fall and typically available until December. If all those fruits and veggies make you hungry, the Petersons also serve light snacks to go with the brews — cheese and cracker trays, potato chips, cheese popcorn, and bags of pretzels — and will also invite food trucks to set up on occasion.
The brewery celebrated its ninth anniversary from Oct. 3-5, and released a new birthday cake flavored beer — a dark, roasty, chocolate stout — for the occasion.
WISHFUL cont’d to page 18
WISHFUL cont’d from page 17
The brew business has been such a success that it’s now the Petersons’ fulltime job. Nate previously worked the night shift at a warehouse in Rockford, and doesn’t miss the second-shift work. He’s now spending his time planning his next creations in the brew room, and preparing at least three months ahead for the seasonal brews, such as a Cranberry ale and gingerbread stout.
“I remember telling him that we’re going to build up this farm, we’re going to get you off of second shift and we’re all going to work here,” Penny recalled. “Then it wound up being a brewery, which we didn’t plan at the beginning. The ultimate goal was realized, and it turned out a different way than we had envisioned.”
WISHFUL cont’d to page 19
The Petersons’ three sons also lend a hand. Alex, who recently turned 22, is helping pour beers, middle child Evan helps with labeling and other tasks, and their youngest, Tristan, eagerly waits in the wings to help out one day. Penny and Nate remain the constant faces behind the bar, emphasizing the personal touch that comes with being a family-run business.
For Penny, the farm is more than work, it’s a sanctuary.
“It’s peaceful,” Penny said. “It’s relaxing. We had three boys who were really little when I started the farm garden, and it gave me something to do that was quiet. It’s my favorite place to be. I absolutely love it out here.”
The brewery continues to carve out its identity as a place where farm, home and business all converge. For Nate, the journey from hobbyist to professional still feels remarkable, he said.
“It’s been great and very rewarding,” Nate said. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world and couldn’t trade it for anything. Over the years it just kind of came about. The brewery wasn’t really the main thing; it was more about the farming when we first bought the farm. It took a long time, but it was a hobby that turned into a passion, and it turned into a business.” n
Shaw Media reporter Cody Cutter can be reached at 815-632-2532 or ccutter@shawmedia.com.
Wishful Acres Farm and Brewery, 4679 N. Flansburg Road in rural Lena, is open 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Find it on Facebook and Instagram, go to wishfulacresfarm. com or call 815990-2380 for more information.
• Residential & Commercial
• Septic Systems
• Pond Construction
• Earth Moving and Grading for general purposes •Trucking and Aggregate Deliveries
call Chip at 815-541-1425
“I’ve always been … keeping things and redoing some things into something different,” said Kent Vock (above), owner of the The Reclamation Station in Savanna — like the shell of this old TV set that he plans to channel his creativity into and find a new use for; he’s also asked people who pop by his Facebook page to vote on possible uses for it. Vock has also taken up painting, a few examples are seen at right.
PHOTOS: CODY CUTTER\PHOTO
By
urning ideas into a business sometimes takes a person who thinks outside the box — or someone who can turn a box into something else.
Kent Vock can do both.
Vock is the talent behind a business that can take the outdated and outcast and give them a new lease on life. Where some just see an old drawer he sees a bookshelf. An old tire becomes a place to park your cars. A collection of corn shuckers is earmarked for a piece of farm-inspired decor. And an old TV set? Well, just stay tuned and see what he does with it.
His flair for the creativity is a perfect fit with his years of experience in construction and home improvement, a combination of inspiration and skill that he’s putting to good use at The Reclamation Station in downtown Savanna, along state Route 84. There, customers will find not only Vock’s repurposed projects, but antiques and collectibles, home decor and more.
The handmade stock in his storefront comes from his other gig, Stoney Creek Designs, which he started after an illness sidelined his carpentry business a few years ago. Like the inspired inventory he creates, the business’s name is repurposed, too: It comes from his nickname, “Stoney.”
Stoney Creek Designs was an outgrowth of the time he found on his hands when a COPD diagnosis forced him to step back from construction. Not one to just idle away the hours, Vock looked for something to do with the time on his hands.
RECLAIM cont’d to page 22
Cody Cutter Sauk Valley Media
Vock isn’t the only one who’s reclaiming the past, his customers can, too. In addition to the items he makes, his shop also carries antiques and knick-knacks, like this collection of uranium glass (displayed under lights to highlight its green glow), and these old instruments.
“I worked on home improvements and lots of things,” Vock said. “I tend to get bored every now and then and have to go do something else for a while. I’ve been a commercial diver, and I’m a certified Harley mechanic. When I get bored, I need to learn things.” Then the wheels started turning in the motorcycle enthusiast’s head. Why not put his skills to use in his own business?
“I know with my personality, if I wasn’t doing something, I’d most likely be sitting in a tavern,” he said. Vock grew up in Sterling but settled in Savanna eight years ago. While he’s spent much of his life as a carpenter (his work has taken him to Lake Carroll on occasion), that was just one stop on a restless journey. His skills may have carried him through decades of work, but there was more to life than just tools and toil. So, in May 2025, he opened The Reclamation Station, an outlet for his creative curiosity where he not only sells pieces he makes, but hopefully inspires others to realize that when they see something that looks past its prime, there’s more than meets the eye.
RECLAIM cont’d to page 23
When you’re not ready for a nursing home, our Bounce Back Program is the answer! Program Includes:
• Interdisciplinary team of experienced professionals
• State-of-the-art therapy equipment
• Full range of rehabilitative therapiesphysical, occupational, and speech
• Case management to oversee insurance and Medicare to maximize your benefits
• Beautiful suites completely furnished including TV and phone hookups Program Goals:
• Increase or restore range of motion and strength
• Teach positioning, mobility, transfers and walking skills
• Reduce pain through use of modalities and adaptive equipment
• Improve cognitive and communication skills
• Promote
swallowing
PHOTOS:
For Vock, his business not only saves him from restless ness and boredom, it saves things from ending up in a dumpster.
“I’ve always been saving materials, keeping things and redoing some things into something different,” Vock said. “I’ve always been into saving them and keeping old stuff going.”
It’s a mission that’s been served well by his years in construction, which helped teach him the value in recycling and repurposing.
“I used to have people who didn’t like their front door just because they didn’t like the window in it [and] they’d spend the money to get the exact one they want,” Vock said, and that opens the door for him to be able to take the old one and resell it.
Today, his philosophy of finding a second life for things is on display at his store, where
he also carries an eclectic mix of antiques and knick-knacks, like uranium glass that he displays under lights so it glows green. He tinkers with old record cabinets, imagining them as Bluetooth-ready entertainment centers. A vintage entertainment center with a working 8-track player awaits a new owner who could either repair its record turntable or find another use for it altogether. If items are missing key parts, that’s no problem – for example, a sewing machine cabinet stripped of its workings still holds promise.
“There’s a sewing machine cabinet with all of the parts missing, but it’s a neat little cabinet,” Vock said. “Who knows, the right person is going to come along and go, ‘Man, I can make that into this.’”
Even his shop displays are exercises in recycling. Items are hung on old closet doors, old pallets are incorporated into shelving units, ladders become racks and an old headboard has been repurposed into the sign in front of the store.
Reclamation Station in Savanna
For Vock, the question is always the same — What do you see when you look at this? — but it’s the answers that are different, and sometime he invites customer to help him find those answers. He recently picked up a 1950s TV set and posted a picture of on the store’s Facebook page, seeking ideas for its use. Some have suggested it be turned into an aquarium or a terrarium, while others have proposed marrying the modern with the old and keeping it as a TV — an idea that didn’t meet with the best reception.
“I’ve had people tell me that I could find a small flatscreen TV to fit inside of it and make it back into a TV,” Vock said. “I could, but that doesn’t seem very creative to me.”
Painting is Vock’s newest hobby, and his work has found its way into his shop. He’s been using old picture frame glass that he picked up at a thrift store as a canvas for his creativity, reverse painting scenes on the back and framing them — and if he wants to switch things up, it’s no problem.
“If you paint on poster board, you have to buy more poster board,” Vock said. “If you paint on glass, you can just scrape it off.”
The walls behind his counter are decorated with paintings. Some are his own, others are by his grandchildren. Occasionally, he hosts painting sessions at the shop, inviting budding young artists to pick up a brush.
“I’ll let their brains go where they want to go,” Vock said. “I feel like I’m trying to give something back.”
Owning the shop is only the beginning for Vock. He sees potential in hosting painting, birdhouse making, and perhaps other hands-on project workshops that pass along the joy of reclamation.
The balance of practical and imaginative is intentional.
MONDAY - FRIDAY: 8:30 AM-5:00 PM • SATURDAY: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM (ALSO OPEN BY APPOINTMENT)
Vock has a little bit of everything at his shop — antiques, home decor, and more: “I try to get some everyday things that people need.”
RECLAIM cont’d to page 26
The Reclamation Station and Stoney Creek Designs, 510 Main St. in Savanna, is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday. Find it on Facebook, email stoneyhoh@ gmail.com or call 815-7182092 for more information.
“‘Reclamation,’ I use that because it’s a big, sophisticated-sounding word,” Vock said. “It’s a recycle shop. I bring in the old stuff, I clean it up, I get it ready, I have it out for the next person. It’s not going to the landfill, and there’s kind of a movement around that stuff these days.”
For all its quirky projects and antique curiosities, the store also meets simple needs.
“An elderly woman was on her way to Walmart, but decided to stop in here because she was looking for a toaster,” Vock said. “I just happened to have what was probably a $50 toaster from when it was new out here for $5. I’ve never seen someone so happy to buy a toaster in my life. She got a better toaster for less money, but she was dreading going to Walmart, having to walk a half-mile across a parking lot, a half-mile through the store. So I try to get some everyday things that people need.”
In finding new homes for overlooked and under-appreciated items, Vock has reclaimed more than their future, he’s reclaimed his own future, and found a home for his business in a city that’s been voted more than once as one of the Best Small Towns for Adventure in a USA Today readers choice contest.
“Stuff’s moving in and moving out, and we’re not doing bad in a small town,” Vock said. “Being south of Galena is helping me, and I get a lot of people going up and down [Route] 84 here seeing stuff on my sidewalk. It attracts attention when they drive, and they’ll go, ‘Why don’t I check that out?’” n Shaw Media reporter Cody Cutter can be reached at 815-632-2532 or ccutter@shawmedia.com.
CUSTOM KITCHEN CABINETRY
For nearly 30 years, ye olde pub in Stockton has rolled out a welcome mat that gives people the Red-carpet treatment, with friends and hospitality from people on both sides of the bar
BY Cody Cutter
Every small-town bar has its own unique quality, and sometimes the best way to find out about a place is to ask the regulars — even when those questions don’t seem all that regular.
Take the icebreakers at a downtown Stockton bar …
“Are the crab rangoon and buffalo chicken bleu cheese tacos good?”
“How come there are so many Vikings fans here?”
“What’s up with the knights looming overhead?”
Those may seem like curious questions, but the customers at the Red Knight Pub are happy to answer them, and make new customers feel like old friends. It’s the kind of place where a warm welcome will have you feeling right at home with the pub’s easygoing charm, hometown vibe and offbeat flavor.
Before you know it, you might just become a regular too.
Jerry and Brenda Boldock have owned Red Knight Pub for 28 years, and leave its day-to-day operations to manager Lisa Craig, who’s worked there for 12 years. During that time, she’s come to realize that the atmosphere is what makes the place special, from the first round to the last call.
“It’s kind of a unique experience,” Craig said. “If you’re ever in here, our customers aren’t afraid to approach you and say hi and make new friends. It’s not, ‘Whoa, who’s that guy?’ Our age range is incredible. We’ll have a 20-year-old and he’s talking to an 80-year-old person, and everyone gets along really great.”
That experience extends late into the night, whether you’re having a beer or a bite. Unique among local bars that serve food, the kitchen is open daily until 12:30 a.m., for folks’ late-Knight cravings.
The menu’s heavy hitters are the burgers and Italian beef sandwiches. The burgers made with a third-pound of beef and the Italian beef piled with three-quarters of a pound lead a lineup built on comfort food. Still, Craig’s not afraid to get out of its comfort zone, bringing a touch of global flavor to a small-town bar menu, including crab rangoon and egg roll appetizers.
KNIGHT cont’d to page 30
Lisa Craig
BAR MANAGER, RED KNIGHT PUB
PHOTO: CODY CUTTER/CCUTTER@SHAWMEDIA.COM
“That was something I decided to put on the menu because I know a lot of people like Chinese food,” Craig said. “We don’t have a Chinese restaurant — there used to be one here years ago — so this is their little bit of their Chinese fixin’.”
Craig has found that many of her customers like to spice things up, and she delivers. The jalapeño burger is one of the most popular items for those who like a little kick with their meal, and “If you’re really feeling spicy, we have a Mango habanero sauce you can add to the top of it,” Craig said. “It’s a delicious burger.”
She’s also been heading south of the border, recently testing a spicy habanero chicken sandwich as a special. She’s also been toying with the idea of deep-fried jalapeños to go with it, an idea inspired by one of her own family traditions: deepfried taco shells, which comes from “a couple of grandmas ago,” she said.
“It’s been around since I was a kid,” Craig said. “It was a cheap, easy way to do it. There were 11 kids in the family, and they had kids, and they had kids, and it’s been at family reunions. It’s so easy and cheap. Ground beef and these shells go a long way. It’s very flavorful. It’s not greasy. It crisps the shell up very nicely. It’s a flavor that pops.
The deep-fried tacos are part of the pub’s Taco Tuesday special, and there’s a buffalo chicken bleu cheese taco offered
Monday Knight football ...
If you want to catch a Minnesota Vikings game on TV, Red Knight Pub is a good place to stop. “We have a lot ... of Vikings fans” on both sides of the bar, Pub manager Lisa Craig said.
that day, too.
“Everything deep fried is good,” she said. When it comes to specials, Craig likes to take an open-minded team approach.
“If my employees think of something, they’ll run it by me and I’ll piece it out if it’s affordable,” Craig said. “We take pride in keeping our menu reasonable.”
When it comes to drinks, the Red Knight offers the classics — including cold beer, bourbon and whiskey — but also taps into its medieval vibe with beer brewed specifically for the pub: the Noble Steed Lager, made by the Lena Brewing Company. It’s a light, easy-drinking lager that took two years of back-and-forth discussion to create and name. Today, it’s become one of the bar’s best sellers, right up there with Busch Light. Want to try a mug? Just point to the tap handle, which features a knight atop his noble steed.
KNIGHT cont’d to page 32
The Knights of the pool table ... The Red Knight Pub’s vibe is a little bit of the rustic and royal, with medieval touches that live up the bar’s name.
“The owners were looking for a different theme from everybody,” said bar manager Lisa Craig
a knight ... Red Knight’s
KNIGHT cont’d from page 30
“You’ve heard of Elf on a Shelf?” Craig said, “We have a Knight on a light.”
In addition to the main bar, Red Knight has a bar area set aside for private parties, local bands and celebrations.
The bar’s medieval moniker wasn’t as much about celebrating all things Middle Ages as it was about making a name for itself in the local bar scene. “The owners were looking for a different theme from everybody,” Craig said, and came up with Red Knight Pub.
Inside, the bar has a more rustic vibe, with wood-covered walls, touches of medieval decor and casual seating. Standing guard in the back is the Red Knight himself, a suit of armor that survived when the bar suffered a fire in 2017, and two more smaller knights stand watch over the main bar room.
cont’d to page 33
Stay. Play. Explore.
KNIGHT
PHOTO PROVIDED BY LISA CRAIG
The bar also has six gambling machines, two dart boards and two pool tables. An old Megatouch RX game still glows at the far end of the bar counter, a relic of early 2000s that’s become a bit of nostalgia these days, which customers can enjoy — as long as it keeps working. The machines aren’t made anymore, Craig said. The 19-inch touchscreen pay-to-play countertop game features a variety of options, such as puzzles, cards, quizzes and sports.
Like many bars, its TVs are often tuned to sports, and come football season, there’s more likely to be a Minnesota Vikings game on it than a Chicago Bears one. “We have a lot – I’d say 60/40 – of Vikings fans and then Bears,” Craig said. “We have a large family that comes in that are huge Vikings fans, and some of our bartenders are Vikings fans.”
Come select holidays, the Red Knight likes to say “thanks” to those who’ve supported it. Each Thanksgiving and Christmas, Craig takes it upon herself to cook a full spread of food at home and bring it in for anyone who walks through the door.
“I make a whole bunch of food up, and it’s no charge — it’s our gift back to our customers,” Craig said. “You can come on in and enjoy a great meal. It’s a lot of work, but we have a really great turnout. A lot of times people have come forward with donations to help me offset the cost.”
The Red Knight Pub is a kind of spot where the welcomes are warm, the fryer stays up late, and where someone can be on a first-name basis by their second beer.
“We don’t judge anybody,” Craig said. “You can be anybody and come through our doors. We welcome everybody in and everyone’s treated like family, sometimes better.” n
Shaw Media reporter Cody Cutter can be reached at 815-632-2532 or ccutter@shawmedia.com.
Looking to unplug and enjoy some time with friends and family? GAME SHOPS CAN BRING
A LOT TO THE TABLE, whether you like to roll with the roles, practice your skills and perfect your strategy, or go on an epic quest
By CutterCody SaukValley Media
abletop and card games are enjoying a renaissance, and local shops are helping fuel that revival.
Once the domain of niche hobbyists, games like Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Dungeons and Dragons have enjoyed more widespread popularity over the past decade, drawing players both young and young-at-heart to storefronts that double as community gathering spaces for game fans.
That enthusiasm is reflected locally, where game stores across northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin are creating spaces and opportunities for both game play and fellowship.
From sprawling trading card collections to shelves of strategy board games and miniature-painting kits (used to customize game pieces for tabletop battles), local game businesses offer more than just their merchandise; they also provide places for connection, creativity and friendly competition whether it’s at a tournament or gathering around a counter of cards.
Trading card and role-playing games (called “RPGs” in gaming lingo) have captivated generations. Tabletop role-playing games, led by the ever-popular Dungeons & Dragons, have thrived since the late 1970s, inspiring events where players take on epic quests guided by local “dungeon masters.” The home of D&D co-founder Gary Gygax, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, is home to the annual Gary Con convention each March. Magic: The Gathering, first released in 1993 with several multiple set expansions over the years, remains a cornerstone of in-store tournaments and weekly play nights, while the late 1990s rise of Pokémon, from Japan, continues to attract collectors and casual players alike. Newer titles such as Disney’s Lorcana and Flesh and Blood have expanded the gaming landscape.
While classic board games like Monopoly and Life are still popular, others have evolved, becoming complex, strategic experiences that bring people together around the table. Modern hits like Catan and Splendor sit alongside the classics, while miniature-based games like Warhammer combine artistry and storytelling in equal measure.
New games and stories are crafted by creators every year, but the older games continue to attract fans, fueled by nostalgia among older players and curiosity among newer ones. This is also true for video games, with some stores that sell card and role-playing games also selling both new and vintage video game titles and cartridges.
Whether tucked inside a small downtown store or a bustling outlet mall, these shops have become places where newcomers can learn, veterans can compete and communities can connect over a shared love of gaming
Are you game for some fun? There are seven shops within an hour’s drive of Lake Carroll where you can escape into worlds of fun and fantasy. So turn the page and get ready to fire up your imagination …
CODY CUTTER/CCUTTER@SHAWMEDIA.COM
There’s Fun in Store
Multiple locations: 1311 N. Galena Ave., Dixon; 229 E. Lincoln Highway, DeKalb; 1650 Premium Outlet Blvd., Suite 1041, Aurora; 2090 Larkin Ave., Elgin; 2533 Milton Ave., Janesville, Wisc.
Online: Facebook, Instagram, theresfuninstore.com
Open: Hours vary by location; check online for details
WHAT BEGAN AS A SMALL BUSINESS IN DOWNTOWN DEKALB IN 2015 HAS GROWN INTO FIVE LOCATIONS across northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, the most recent opening at Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora. There’s Fun in Store offers a selection of board and card games, tabletop role-playing products, three-dimensional puzzles, video games and game-related merchandise and decor for the game room or game space. The business is known for its vast trading card inventory, with more than half a million cards in stock, including Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Disney’s Lorcana, and Dragon Ball Super. Shoppers can also find Games Workshop miniatures, Star Wars X-Wing sets, Legos, dice and accessories. The Dixon location also offers a selection of vintage video games.
The Paper Escape
205 W. First St., Dixon Phone: 815-284-7567
Online: Facebook, paperescape.com
Open: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Saturday
IN ADDITION TO BOARD AND CARD GAMES, AND TABLETOP ROLE-PLAYING PRODUCTS, THE DOWNTOWN DIXON SHOP, which opened in 1982, also sells new and old comic books and paperback fantasy books. Dungeons and Dragons is popular here: it hosts a semi-annual “brawl” event for the game — a friendly but competitive tournament, and its “dungeon masters” can take advantage of a vast library that owner Kerri Smith (photo above) has for these events.
Magic, Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! cards also are sold, and occasional events are held for those games “I have people who come in and call it ‘Nerdvana,’” Smith said.
Open: 1 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday
AND TABLETOP ROLE-PLAYING GAMES. Owner Toby Wright (photo below) has been a gaming enthusiast since he was “knee high to a grasshopper,” and long dreamed of turning his hobby into a business. That dream came true this past summer. The shop’s big three trading card games are Magic, Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh!, and it also stocks lesserknown titles such as Flesh and Blood, the new Gundam card game and Weiss Schwarz. Hobby gamers also will find Warhammer and Dungeons and Dragons products, along with a growing collection of board games such as Splendor, Catan, Monopoly and Risk. Azure hosts weekly tournaments and game nights, with a schedule that shifts based on community interest: Magic tournaments on Sunday nights, Gundam on Wednesdays, and Dungeons and Dragons on Thursdays (check the store’s Facebook page for updates).
PHOTO:
The Board Room
103 S. Wesley Ave., Mt. Morris
Phone: 815-355-1166
Online: Facebook, theboardroomgcc.com
Open: Check online for updated hours
THE BOARD ROOM, FORMERLY AT CONOVER SQUARE MALL IN OREGON FOR THREE YEARS, RECENTLY MOVED TO ITS NEW LOCATION a few miles west to Mt. Morris. The shop offers mainly gaming items such as trading card games, tabletop games, and board games along with some model supplies for painting miniatures. The main brands carried are Magic, Pokémon, Warhammer and Dungeons and Dragons. Owner Ashton Rutherford said he plans to expand what he carries as he settles into the new location. “I started this as a bit of a passion project,” Rutherford said. “I really love Oregon and Mt. Morris. I grew up in both towns. It would probably make more sense to start a store in a more populated area but I really wanted to give my home another avenue of entertainment and build a gaming community here. My favorite part of this business is definitely building a community of people and players and also being able to give back to my hometown.”
Outpost Gaming
1113 16th Avenue, Monroe, Wis.
Phone: 815-821-0166
Online: Facebook, outpostgamingllc.net
Open: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday
ALSO LOCATED NEAR MONROE’S COURTHOUSE SQUARE, Outpost Gaming sells Pokémon, Magic and Lorcana gaming cards and packs, but the bulk of its inventory is a variety of video games and consoles. Discbased games for PlayStation and Xbox fill its shelves, and vintage games for older consoles such as the original Nintendo, Game Boy, Super Nintendo and Sega are available, some in their original boxes. The store also sells sports memorabilia and Funko pop culture figurines.
• Landscaping Design
• Installation
• Maintenance
• Retaining Walls
• Custom Patios
• Licensed Pesticide Applicators
• Snow Removal
• Rip-Rap and Sea Walls
• Water features
• Horticulture Degree Staff
• Outdoor Kitchens and Fireplaces Serving
“We have lots of video games for the small place that I have,” owner Chad Allendorf (photo above) said. “Everyone has their own tastes and likes what they like, and I try to have a little something for everybody when they come in. Most people don’t walk away without something. I try to have a lot of unique titles and not 50 copies of something.” The shop also sells Hyperkin brand retro “clone” consoles, where players can use cartridges from multiple systems on one machine. Allendorf also does light console repair work, and buys and trades video games.
Twisted Games
1030 Riverside Drive, Freeport
Phone: 815-275-8009
Online: Facebook
Open: 1 to 8 p.m. Sunday, 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, noon to 10 p.m. Sunday
THE CLOSEST GAME SHOP TO LAKE CARROLL, Twisted Games has a wide selection of gaming cards, including Pokémon, Magic, Lorcana and Dungeons and Dragons. Sets and pieces for tabletop miniature games such as Warhammer also are sold, along with paint for game pieces. Open game play is available during store hours, and there’s also a space for visitors to come and check out a board game from its library. Card game and board game nights take place each week (check the shop’s Facebook page for an up-to-date schedule), as well as “learn-to-play nights,” when novices can get acquainted with a game without pressure from experienced pros. Owners Zach and Jill Miller (photo at left) plan to expand their inventory and gaming table space later this year, as such games have grown in popularity in recent years. “We just wanted to have a place where the community can get together and be around like-minded people,” Jill said.
Cosmic Collectibles
1508 11th St., Monroe, Wis.
Phone: 608-426-6385
Online: Facebook, Instagram, cosmiccollectibles53566. crystalcommerce.com
Open: noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday
SINCE OPENING IN SPRING 2022, COSMIC COLLECTIBLES HAS EXPANDED from a small storefront to a downtown location near Monroe’s Courthouse Square. Magic and Digimon are the store’s two most popular card games, and it also sells singles, packs and sets from other games. Magic games are played on Tuesdays and Fridays and Digimon on Wednesdays and Sundays. (check online or call for more information). The store also sells sports cards, board games and video games and consoles. Its card room also can be rented for private parties. Owner Vaughan Coplian and employees Matt Loebach and Blake VanRyswyk are working on a system that will allow players to join games remotely. “Our main passion is the people, and giving them a place to be,” Coplian said. “We want to be a place where people can go who don’t have a place to go. We try real hard to be extra welcoming.”
