Hidden Gems outside our coverage area

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Last year we told you we were putting together a special Hidden Gem feature and needed your help. Up until now, all our Hidden Gems have been stores in our coverage area (Kenosha/Kenosha County, Racine/Racine County and Lake Geneva). We rotate, with each area getting a spot once every three issues. But we wanted to expand our horizons, and that’s where you came in. We asked you to tell us about Hidden Gems outside our coverage area. The only criteria was that they had to be owned by women and they had to carry merchandise for women. These are the suggestions we received. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m heading out to do a little shopping.

Kathy Troher, She editor

The Stitchery

N2484 County Trunk O, Delavan

262-728-6318

The Stitchery is the oldest quilting/needlework shop in Wisconsin. Nancy Snyder and Carrie Dodge are sisters who own the shop now. They know quilting. They can assist a beginner quilter in selecting fabrics for that first quilted heirloom. They also can assist an experienced quilter in looking at a pattern or fabric in a different way.

The shop carries seasonal fabric all year long. If I am looking for a fall or Christmas print in July, they will have it. There is a room with fabrics for children. There are many samples to inspire me to begin new projects.

They don’t have a website but an Internet search of The Stitchery will take you to their Facebook page.

—

Patricia Volk, Pleasant Prairie

Bradley’s Department Store

222 East Walworth Ave., Delavan

262-728-3405

Several women suggested Bradley’s Department Store in Delavan. Here are some of the comments they sent us.

I am nominating Bradley’s Department Store in Delavan for your “outside the zone” Hidden Gem. Bradley’s has been in business in Delavan for 160 years. Lois Stritt purchased the store a couple years ago and what a change it has been. It is great fun to go to Bradley’s and wander among the clothes and accessories on display. They also have a men’s clothing section. It is worth a trip to Delavan to see this store. I always see things I like, and my checkbook shows it!

—

June Yantis, Lake Geneva

I always stop in to see what is new and usually walk out with a new piece of clothing ... unique. People are always asking where I purchased the clothes I get at Bradley’s and I always say, in a small town in Wisconsin, and it has been in business 160 years. It is my favorite store. Everyone treats you like family, seriously. Oh, coffee and comfortable chairs for husbands. Smart move.

Community, family, friends are the heart of this store. The selfish side of my personality wants to keep them a secret ... more clothes for me!

—

Barbara Foster, Williams Bay

I have been shopping at Bradley’s for many years. It has secretly been my Hidden Gem. I have gotten so many comments over the years about my cute purses. I always tell my friends they came from my favorite store in Delavan, Wisconsin. I always find something unique and different, and the women who work there are fantastic. Sometimes I stop in twice a week when I am in town and I will see new things that weren’t there a few days earlier. My trips to the lake are not complete without my pitstops to Bradley’s, my favorite store.

—

Joan Clark, Joliet, Ill.

Bangles and Bags

611 Main St., Delafield

262-646-4534

Website: feelfabulousforless.com

My Hidden Gem is Bangles and Bags. I accidentally discovered it several years ago while browsing through shops in Delafield with my cousin and sister.

Bangles and Bags is a store filled with lovely accessories that all women love. They have earrings, necklaces, bracelets, scarves, purses, hair pins and more. The store is a pleasure to shop in because the merchandise is beautifully laid out. Best of all, the prices on all the merchandise are extremely affordable.

There are actually five Bangles and Bags stores in the Milwaukee area. Besides the one in downtown Delafield, there is also a store in downtown Waukesha, Cedarburg, Wauwautosa and one in Milwaukee’s Third Ward. The stores are owned by Susan Steiner and co-owned by Jeanette Dvorak. The two woman find the great jewelry on buying trips to New York City and Las Vegas.

—

Helena Faraca, Kenosha