A business that features an unusual combination of enterprises may be on its way to Wilmette.
The Wilmette Village Board gave initial approval June 8 to a request for a special use permit from the owners of Luigi’s Dress Shop. The goal is to convert the now empty storefront at 424 Linden Avenue into an enterprise where cocktails will be created and then delivered within Wilmette. At the same location, gowns will placed in the windows available for customers to purchase.
“The applicant has proposed a really unique concept, not just here in Wilmette, but in all of Illinois,” Corporation Counsel Jeff Stein said.
Co-owners Blair Cooke and Mari-Rose McManus believe Luigi’s will add some vitality to the village’s Linden Square district.
“I’ve looked at this space for so long and thought this is absolutely perfect,” said Cooke, who runs the nearby Alchemy Coffee House. “I think it would be fun and really cool.”
Prospective customers can order cocktails to be delivered in the Wilmette area, Cooke said.
The special use permit allows small private events, where up to 10 people can taste the cocktails on Wednesdays through Sundays from 4-8 p.m., with reservations required.
“It is going to be a small operation and the majority of what we are going to be doing is the delivery of the cocktails,” added McManus, who also owns Wilmette’s Exhibit Boutique.
The owners said the objective is to create a dress shop with a bar, drawing on the concept of speakeasy outfits that were popular in previous generations.
“We want it to be in the spirit of the speakeasy where there is a little bit of mystery, people start talking about it,” McManus said.
The proposal was not recommended by the village’s Zoning Board of Appeals as members split 3-3, with two not present.
However, the Village Board unanimously approved the concept.
“I think we are excited about a new kind of business at 4th and Linden,” Village President Senta Plunkett said.
The Village Board is expected to vote on final approval for the proposal and a separate liquor license later in June.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter.