Marketplace

Transactions filed in the McHenry County Recorder’s Office Sept. 22 to 25..

■ Residence at 2350 Vivaldi St., Woodstock, was sold by Patrick M. and Paola G. Spanbauer, Warner Robins, Ga., to Rony Lopez, Woodstock, for $270,000. ■ Residence at 8410 Elm St., Wonder Lake, was sold by Amanda Young, Woodstock, to Neil A. Speiss, Wonder Lake, for $181,000. ■ Residence at 1652 Ash Ave., Woodstock, was sold by Thomas Mattingly and Matilda Hudson, Chelsea, Mich., to Margaret R. Gomberg, Woodstock, for $179,900. ■ Residence at 9109 Pine Ave., Wonder Lake, was sold by 9109 Pine LLC, Wonder Lake, to Peter Tzimpas, Wonder Lake, for $146,500. ■ Residence at 181 Clover Chase Circle, Woodstock, was sold by The Dorothe G. Von Bergen Revocable Trust, Woodstock, to David R. Dorn, Woodstock, for $215,000. ■ Vacant land, approximately 17,000 sq. feet, at 725-731 Carlisle Drive, Woodstock, was sold by Carrie Fischer, Woodstock, to Megan Liebetrau, Woodstock, for $17,500. ■ Residence at 100 Prairie Ridge Drive, Woodstock, was sold by James R. Hanson, Belvidere, to David T. Kranenburg, Woodstock, for $245,000. ■ Residence at 749 Sharon Drive, Woodstock, was sold by The Delores Hartlieb Trust and The Lou Hartlieb Trust, Woodstock, to Joseph E. Blahut, Woodstock, for $316,000. ■ Residence at 1717 Sebastian Road, Woodstock, was sold by Heather M. Zenaty, Crystal Lake, to Michael J. Schutten, Woodstock, for $240,000. ■ Residence at 2417 Fairview Circle, Woodstock, was sold by D. R. Horton, Inc. - Midwest, Vernon Hills, to Stephen R. Ehren, Woodstock, for $365,690.

INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY KEN FARVER

By Susan W. Murray NEWS@THEWOODSTOCKINDEPENDENT.COM

In a hopeful development for a tooquiet segment of North Benton Street, Studio 2015 returns to the Woodstock Square this week under the new name of Studio D Jewelers. The longtime Woodstock jewelry store will occupy the retail space at 118 N. Benton St., last home to the Revolution Youth Center, a ministry of the Woodstock Bible Church.

Studio D Jewelers brings life to a row of four storefronts that have emptied since February 2019, when Swiss Maid Bakery closed. Besides the Revolution Youth Center, Uptown Salon concluded its 22-year run at the end of May, and Soul Focus will shut its doors at the end of this year.

The move is also notable because it brings a dedicated jewelry store back to the downtown. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Woodstock boasted four downtown jewelry stores: Studio 2015 at 110 N. Benton St., Woodstock Jewelers at 124 N. Benton St., Standley Jewelers in the Woodstock Square Mall, and Ray Wolf Jewelers at 216 Main St. Studio 2015 moved to 11701 Catalpa Lane in 2008, and the owners’ retirements led to the shuttering of the three others between 2002 and 2008.

Once again, residents can have a watch battery changed while in town or take the romantic stroll to the Square to pick out an engagement ring.

Dougherty Enterprises President Wayne Read said the COVID-19 pandemic offered the opportunity to take time to think through the future of Studio 2015’s business to make it “nimble and stronger.” The Catalpa location, he said, had “too much overhead and square footage.”

“We made the decision three years ago to go back to our roots – custom jewelry designing,” said second-generation owner Bret Dougherty. The move comes with a reduction in the number of lines to “laser focus on what our customers are looking for.”

With the return to the Square, the store will regain the foot traffic it lacked on Catalpa Lane, Dougherty said.

He recalled the years between 1992 and 2008 as a time when “some of our brides got married right in front of the store” – in the gazebo in the park inside the Square.

“The Square has always been a passion project for the family,” Dougherty said. “The Square is magical; we’re excited to be part of that again.”

Custom jewelry design represents 30 percent of the company’s business, Continued on NEXT page

Read said, and it is expected to grow.

Studio D Jewelers will continue to carry its most popular lines: engagement and wedding rings from Silvie, Peter Storm, and Simon G; handcrafted UNODE50 pieces; Carla Corporation earrings; and KIR’s sterling silver and 18K gold designs.

Added to the store’s inventory will be lines of sterling silver products that will not be confined to cases. The new store’s “Play Area” provides a place where customers can handle jewelry.

Having more “hands-on, accessible” merchandise will widen the customer base, Read said.

In addition, a Studio D-designed and -manufactured engagement line will be coming “shortly,” Dougherty said.

Work inside the Benton Street site highlights the store’s rich past as a series of dry goods stores and then the A&P Tea Co. in 1938.

Ripping down drywall on the north interior wall revealed the building’s original brick. Buffing the floors let the terrazzo marble shine.

The back area has a new office space, while new doors and windows will provide some needed refreshing.

- Bret Dougherty, owner Studio D Jewelers

The store’s basement may be utilized as event space in the future.

Through the end of the year, Studio 2015 will continue to operate on Catalpa Lane as Studio D settles into its home on the Square. After that, Dougherty Enterprises’ 42 employees who are involved in manufacturing, marketing, finance, and customer support will work in the Catalpa Lane location, while eight retail employees, including an on-site jeweler, staff Benton Street.

Plans for Catalpa Lane include spaces for Bret’s father, Tom, to sell his craft meats and an incubator space for engineering.

A large part of Dougherty Enterprises’ business is the creation of between 1,500 and 1,800 Thumbies each week, a jewelry collection that incorporates the fingerprint of a deceased loved one, sold through funeral homes and directly to consumers. The company also makes a line known as Buddies, which commemorates family pets.

What has now evolved into Studio D Jewelers got its start when Tom Dougherty crafted jewelry in his garage under the name Goldn-Wood Studio, beginning in 1971, with the business largely built on word-of-mouth.

In 1992, “we moved into the Square with three gold pieces of jewelry and one diamond,” Bret Dougherty said. “The rest was silver and brass.”

The business’ growth to two locations and 50 employees is due to its “customer service,” Dougherty said.

“We work hard to make the jewelry as unique and special as our customers are,” he said.

From its home in Woodstock, the shop does business across the country.

“When people move away from Woodstock,” Dougherty said, “they still want to deal with us.”

The new store will celebrate the opening on Small Business Saturday this coming weekend.

“This store has the pedigree of an anchor,” Read said. “We’re not going anywhere.”

nicorgas.com/safety

Smell Gas? Act Fast! Natural gas is a colorless and odorless fuel. For safety reasons, a chemical odorant called mercaptan is added for easy detection of a suspected natural gas leak. This odorant has a distinctive “rotten egg” type odor. Natural gas odors should be reported immediately.

¿Hay olor a gas? ¡Actué rápido! El gas natural es un combustible incoloro e inodoro. Por razones de seguridad, se le agrega un aromatizante químico llamado mercaptano para que se pueda detectar fácilmente. Este aromatizante tiene un olor característico a “huevo podrido.” Los olores a gas natural deben informarse de inmediato.

• Do not try to locate the source of the smell. • Leave the area immediately and alert others. • Avoid using any sources of ignition, such as cell phones, cigarettes, matches, flashlights, electronic devices, motorized vehicles, light switches or landlines. • Call Nicor Gas at 888.Nicor4U (642.6748) or 911 once you are out of the area and in a safe place.

No intente localizar la fuente del olor. Abandone el área inmediatamente y alerte a los demás. Evite usar cualquier fuente de ignición, por ejemplo, teléfonos celulares, cigarrillos, fósforos, linternas, aparatos electrónicos, vehículos a motor, interruptores de luz o teléfonos fijos. Llame a Nicor Gas at 888.Nicor4U (642.6748) o al 911 una vez que esté fuera del área y en un lugar seguro.