Owners of The Cottage Geneva home decor shop share passion for renovation
Darkish clouds generally have silver linings. Jonna Kelleher is familiar with this properly, and she unquestionably located her silver linings, even just after her parents’ loss and currently being divided from her younger brother and thrust into the foster-care process as a teenager.
Some of the products for sale at The Cottage Geneva, situated in the Berry Household Retailers in Geneva.
– Jeff Knox | Staff Photographer

“My mom died when I was 12, and my father died when I was 16,” Kelleher explained. “I bounced around all around the nation from property to residence and eventually got independent and created it to Chicago.”
From there, in quick get, she met her long term spouse when serving him a drink at a Wrigley Field bar in 2013, bought married in 2016, just lately moved to Geneva, and just final week opened The Cottage Geneva household décor and add-ons shop in the Berry Dwelling at 227 S. 3rd St.
“My mother was genuinely into antiques, so I experienced a enjoy of house décor at a young age,” Kelleher explained. “As I sort of went from property to household, I experienced this emotion of wanting to know ‘what was a house like?'”
Her solution arrived into clearer target just after marrying Sean Kelleher, a trainer at Oswego East High University, though she was working as an ER nurse at Elmhurst Clinic. All those are employment they each nevertheless do the job when owning and functioning The Cottage Geneva.
Sean made an impressive self-taught furniture-creating talent set, a crucial aspect of The Cottage Geneva’s in general topic as a “French cottage” placing with neutral hues and an remarkable mixing of more recent products and solutions with antiques.
Some of the objects for sale at The Cottage Geneva, found in the Berry Dwelling Stores in Geneva.
– Jeff Knox | Team Photographer

“We renovated our own dwelling (in North Mill Creek in Geneva) and shared it with people today lots of would question if they could obtain some issues or talk to how we did some thing,” Jonna stated.
Jonna acknowledges that her eye and contact for house décor arrived “from me learning around the years on my individual dwelling and wanting to bring it to everyone else.”
Their household is not the only place that received the Kelleher magic touch. They totally renovated their device in The Berry House’s front part.
“It took my partner about five times to do it,” Jonna observed. In these 5 days, Sean place in a new flooring and ceiling and painted the unit in a neutral product shade. It all functions completely in exhibiting the many parts of furnishings and extras in the new store.
Jonna was organizing to do her ultimate ER change at the hospital this 7 days to be equipped to dedicate extra time to the store, which is open Tuesday through Sunday.
Home decor shop The Cottage Geneva, owned by Jonna and Sean Kelleher, opened in early June.
– Jeff Knox | Staff members Photographer

“This is our first hurrah in retail, and we went all-in on this web-site,” Jonna noted. “We were initially thinking of just carrying out anything online, but this place grew to become out there, and I had a eyesight, so we couldn’t go up this chance.”
People thrilling ‘rides’
Many quantities of moms and dads have liked viewing their sons or daughters acquire up a activity, musical instrument or a position in a faculty engage in and watched them progress to lofty heights.
It would make for exciting, memorable chapters in the lives of the youngsters and their parents. And it is particularly rewarding when the father or mother can see that the child has matured and developed essential existence expertise along the way.
Get the instance of Sandi and Dave Liking of St. Charles. Their son, Bob Liking, a sophomore this calendar year at the College of Wisconsin in Madison and a 2020 graduate of St. Charles East Large College, not too long ago finished 22nd of 24 runners in the 10,000-meter run at the NCAA Out of doors Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
That may possibly not audio like considerably, other than this team of the finest collegiate runners in the nation, which represented yet another significant accomplishment for Bob throughout his working profession.
Just as importantly, the Likings could see that their son had picked up on the most crucial lessons athletics offer alongside the way.
“We had two sons who each preferred athletics at a youthful age, and we just inspired them simply because there was far more to sporting activities than remaining the most effective athlete,” Sandi Liking mentioned. “You learn to be a superior teammate, and you find out from your coaches.”
Whilst older son Tom, who stood six toes tall by eighth quality, went on to engage in baseball at Concordia University in Moorehead, Minnesota, Sandi claimed Bob took a diverse path mainly because he was smaller sized in stature and just took to jogging as his sport.
“It is really been a serious enjoyable ride,” adhering to the boys’ athletic endeavors and seeing Bob grow to be a solid, tranquil leader decided to access his ambitions.
Bob surely experienced the legs to make operating his factor. He was on the St. Charles East cross place workforce that gained the point out title in 2019, and he went on to break documents in stair climbing, acquiring conquered the Willis Tower stairs in Chicago and U.S. Bancorp Tower stairs in Portland, amongst some others. As a sophomore, he also won the Significant 10 unique cross-country title this calendar year.
His father, Dave, details to his initial athletic coaches as keys to his results.
“Scott Nold at Wredling Center School and Chris Bosworth at St. Charles East both equally were being instrumental in aiding Bob accomplish his targets,” Dave claimed. “He also learned a large amount about nourishment immediately after attending a cross place camp in Madison, and he grew to become diligent about what his diet program was.”
It is just as essential to most mother and father to see their youngsters develop into leaders by instance and take individuals expertise into their adult life.
“Bob just does his factor and doesn’t boast about it or something,” Sandi stated. “We have been enjoying this experience simply because you never ever know when an damage could sideline you, and we inform the boys to take the chance when they have it for the reason that you never know when it could appear once more.”
An honor and fun
The Swedish Times parade on Sunday, June 26, is usually a lot of pleasurable for participants and spectators alike.
I can believe of just one person who ought to have more enjoyment than anyone. This year, the Geneva Chamber of Commerce tabbed 18-12 months-outdated Mari Landwehr as the parade’s grand marshal.
It will give anyone a prospect to shout hellos and wave to this Particular Olympics champion who has excelled in rhythmic gymnastics, swimming and unified golf.
Immediately after graduating from Geneva High Faculty, Landwehr entered the Pupils Attaining Impartial Living (SAIL) program at Mid-Valley Particular Schooling in St. Charles.
It was an great idea for the chamber to honor Landwehr and her accomplishments and how she has represented Geneva in the U.S. Specific Olympics events.
Waiting around on burgers and sushi
The notices are out for hiring, which seems to be the last task for the Burgers and Sushi Property cafe at 124 W. State St. in advance of opening its doors.
Identified as BASH, the cafe in Geneva will depict a new area playing off the well-known BASH web site in Ottawa.
Longtime people are curious about a cafe opening in this spot, formerly the site of Viking Business office Offer, Bicycle Heaven and H4 Exercise.
The city has not been given any update from BASH that would suggest a timeline for opening the Geneva web page.
A great deal lastly sells
5 years ago, I requested why the parcel at the southwest corner of Point out and Fourth Streets in Geneva, upcoming to the Bien Trucha restaurant, experienced been empty for so lots of a long time.
I speculated that property proprietor Dr. Tracey Clifford of Batavia was trapped with an empty parcel for practically 4 decades. Readers promptly reminded me that a Marathon gasoline station sat at that corner until about 20 yrs back.
When chatting with Clifford, she approximated her whole expense at about $1.2 million in that parcel and a different she owns at the rear of the bank at the former Pure Oil site, both of which she has owned because 2004. Her preliminary vision for that corner was a a few-tale place of work creating with restaurants and stores on the reduced degree.
All kinds of issues saved that from going on, but we see now that TSSGIL LLC has acquired that parcel. Plans for that parcel are not apparent yet, but we’ll retain an eye on what this LLC could finally have in intellect.
