Downtown Long Grove Heads Into the Holidays With New Neighbors and a Decade-Old Plan

At 220 Robert Parker Coffin Road, a chocolate shop keeps a running count on its wall. According to the Daily Herald's May 2026 profile of Broken Bridge Treats, the covered bridge out front had been hit 76 times since August 2020, after it was restored and reinforced with steel following heavy damage from a box truck in 2018. Framed photos show U-Haul trucks wedged under the timbers. In one, a bus bound for a nearby golf course got stuck, and the passengers took their beers and walked the rest of the way. A video loops inside the store with "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter as its soundtrack. General manager Karen Klancnik told the paper that the display is meant to make people more aware, not to mock anyone.

The same article also explained who owns the shop, and that helps account for how downtown Long Grove looks going into this holiday season.

The Ownership Map Behind the Storefronts

Broken Bridge Treats belongs to Michael Okun, Klancnik's brother. The Daily Herald reported that Okun and his partners, Gerald Forsythe, Marsha Forsythe and Melissa Bernadette, began buying Long Grove properties about 10 years ago. Their aim was to revive a downtown that thrived before the Great Recession. Put that article next to the Village's July 2026 business roster and you can see how much of the district runs through one family and its partners.

Arlene Okun also runs the Sock Monkey Snack Company. Okun's tie to the town goes back to childhood. He told the paper he rode his bike downtown while visiting his grandfather in the Country Club Estates neighborhood. Even the chocolate shop's name came out of this local history. It opened as Morkes Chocolates and still carries mostly Morkes product from Palatine. Okun said the bridge "got hit so many times" that the owners renamed it.

Pizza, ice cream, wine, chocolate, a museum and a gathering place: those are the businesses that bring people downtown on an ordinary afternoon. For a decade, one group has kept a large share of them open.

Why the 2026 Openings Read Differently

That is the background for this year's new arrivals. None of the three shops that opened downtown in 2026 has a reported link to the Okun group. Each came from an owner with separate ties to the area.

The Olive Tap, 302 Old McHenry Road. Kelly Petrocelli, a Long Grove resident, reopened the store on February 16, 2026. As the Daily Herald reported in May, The Olive Tap first opened in Long Grove in 2006, later moved to a larger space across the street, and closed around 2021 when the original owners relocated to Colorado. Petrocelli worked at the original store and at the Colorado locations. She told the paper she "grew up basically in The Olive Tap" because the founding family are her best friend's parents. Along with premium olive oils and balsamic vinegars, the shelves carry pastas imported from Italy, spices, jams, jellies and sauces.

Artistic Creations of Long Grove, 405 Robert Parker Coffin Road. Ellen Glassman opened the shop after nearly 40 years as a senior consultant and project manager at Allstate. She told the Daily Herald she noticed the empty storefront on her way to morning Pilates nearby. It sells photographs, jewelry, ceramics, blown glass, candles, wall art and wind sculptures by artists from Buffalo Grove, Highland Park, Lake Forest, Mundelein and nearby towns. Glassman doesn't make art herself. "My art comes in what I like and what I think people will like," she told the paper. The two shops held a joint grand opening in early May.

Dead Ned's Pepper House, 311 Old McHenry Road, rear entrance. This hot and spicy food shop announced an August 2026 opening, and its website now says it is open in historic Long Grove. Products include New Mexico Hatch green chiles and a sweet-heat barbecue sauce. The opening date comes from the business itself. The Village's July 2026 roster already listed it at that address.

The Daily Herald described both May openings as drawing community support and renewed optimism about the downtown's future. Independent owners choosing to open here, without ties to the group that has kept much of the district running, is a sign that the revival has spread beyond one group. Before this year, the most recent independent arrival on record was Ritzy Christmas at 438 Robert Parker Coffin Road, which the Village's September 2024 newsletter described as recently opened. In 2026 there have been three.

The Village Spent First

Village President Bill Jacob traces the momentum back to public money spent before any of these leases were signed. He told the Daily Herald:

"I think it's the investments we made years ago. Upgrading the streets, the streetscape, the sidewalks, the streetlights, renovating the (Robert Parker Coffin) bridge. It is those types of investments that have helped attract investors to the downtown. There were no public sidewalks, there were no streetlights until a few years ago."

The timing lines up. The Okun group started buying about a decade ago. The bridge was restored after its 2018 damage, and the Daily Herald's hit count starts in August 2020. Sidewalks and streetlights arrived within the past few years. The independent openings came after all of that. The streets listed for the Village's 2026 road maintenance program were Checker Road, Tall Oaks Drive and Hampton Drive, not the downtown corridor.

Sidewalks and streetlights matter most from November through December, when shoppers walk between stores after dark. That season is about to start.

Where the New Shops Fit the Season

Olive oil and Italian pantry goods, artisan ceramics and blown glass, hot sauce and green chiles all make good gifts, and all three new shops will be open for their first Vintage Holidays. The Historic Downtown Long Grove Business Association organizes the season. Here is the calendar from its Vintage Holidays page, updated October 8, along with the October events still ahead.

1. Sunday, October 18, noon. Pet Costume Parade at Brother's Field, 340 Old McHenry Road, part of October Days.
2. Friday, October 23, 3–5 p.m. Merchant trick-or-treating downtown. As of the event page's last update, the list of participating businesses was still marked "Coming Soon!"
3. Friday, November 20, 5–8 p.m. Light Up Long Grove kicks off the season. From 5 to 7:30 there are tractor-pulled wagon rides, photo stations and late shop hours. At 7:30, Jacob leads the bridge and tree lighting, followed by a performance from the Fred Astaire Dancers, whose studio is at 342 Historical Lane.
4. Carriage rides on November 21, 22, 27, 28 and 29, and December 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 and 20. Seats are $15, and children 5 and under ride free on an adult's lap. Registration was listed as coming soon, and riders bring a signed waiver. Bad weather can cancel rides, and tickets are non-refundable.
5. Santa, noon–4 p.m. on November 28 and 29 and December 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 and 20. Free photos with Santa are on Sunday, December 20, at Covered Bridge Park, first come, first served.
6. Caroling. Adlai E. Stevenson High School on December 6, noon–1 p.m. The Long Grove Carolers on December 12, 11 a.m.–2 p.m., followed by Barrington High School, 2–4 p.m. Buffalo Grove High School on December 13, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.

The Sip, Shop and Dine promotion runs the full season. Save receipts from downtown shops and restaurants dated November 20 through December 24, 2026. Once they total $150 before tax and tip, bring them to the Visitors' Center at 145 Old McHenry Road for a free gift. New items this year include rustic wood-slice tree ornaments and Covered Bridge snowflake ornaments, alongside Long Grove campfire mugs, Mad for Plaid scarves and Covered Bridge coasters. Gifts are available while supplies last.

Receipts from different owners all count toward the same total. A board from Beyond the Board Charcuterie, dinner at Enzo & Lucia Ristorante, a bottle at Broken Earth Winery and a jar of Hatch green chiles from Dead Ned's can add up to one gift. The longtime anchors are still there, including Long Grove Confectionery Co. at 114 Old McHenry Road, The Village Tavern at 135 Old McHenry Road and Corked Wine Bar at 132 Old McHenry Road. As of May, Okun said space was left on the Broken Bridge Treats wall, and a photo of the latest crash was already at the framer.

At Deb Baker Homes, we follow downtown Long Grove the way our neighbors do, one storefront and one season at a time. If you're wondering how a revived historic district fits into what your own Long Grove home is worth, request a complimentary home valuation.