Sharon Rodney never imagined the stories she told her then-toddler son would one day be the name of her new boutique store in downtown Naperville.
She opened George & Fred for business June 21 on the second floor of 216 Main St.
The oldest building downtown — a plaque on the exterior wall says town founder Joseph Naper built it from 1847 to 1849 — is home to the new business.
“George and Fred are two rabbits I made up stories about when my son was about 2. He would be falling asleep in the backseat. Remember those days when you’d say, ‘Not yet, not yet’? I tried to keep him up so he’d fall asleep (in his bed),” she recalled.
The fictional rabbits embarked on all sorts of adventures to entertain young Rhett.
“When I thought about opening my own store, I wanted it to be an adventure, a story. Everything in here can give someone else a story,” Rodney, 54, said.
By the way, Fred is the smarter of the two and George is always getting into trouble. If you remember the cartoon mice Pinky and The Brain, you get the idea.
“Everything here, hopefully, is a story and when you bring it home and someone else sees it, they’ll say, ‘That’s cool. Tell me where it’s from, what’s it about,’” she said.
Rodney’s story had her working 30 years in the corporate world of downtown Chicago, putting to use the skills learned when she graduated from University of Illinois with a degree in advertising.
But after three decades in marketing, she “hit a wall of telling stories for companies that didn’t make my heart sing,” she said. “I had my fill and wanted to do something that’s a connector with the people in the community.”
So she quit her job with Accenture in 2024 and began selling eclectic items from her home. She then decided brick-and-mortar was the way to go.
Rodney, who has lived in Naperville’s Cress Creek subdivision for nearly 20 years, turned down sites in two strip malls, preferring a more historic setting.
She repainted the interior to bright white and had installed five distinctive chandeliers.
Even the display cases are different. She found a couple in a barn: “They’ll be super cool when I redo the glass and light them up.
“I love this place and the idea that it will give people a unique experience. The people who’ve been coming here are so cool. I want to go have coffee or a beer with any of them,” she said.
She’s hoping those shoppers “need something unique and different.” Strolling with Rodney through her 700-square-foot store, it’s clear there’s no shortage of either.
There is handmade jewelry and home goods “from a lot of makers, people who actually make the pottery or hand-blow the glass and eclectic things like the old beer steins, things like that.”
There are handmade silk ties for men and dazzling bags for women that are created from scratch by a mother-and-daughter team. There is 3-D artwork, unusual wine decanters and plenty of other eye-catching items.
“It’s cool things for your home or if you give a gift when you go somewhere. Another candle? Another plant? A bottle of wine again? I want to sell things that say ‘I thought of you,’” Rodney said.
“I’m sure they can find a Turkish rug somewhere, but will they be able to walk into a store here (in Naperville) and find it?
“I’m not aiming to make a bazillion dollars. I just want to stay in business, have some fun and give other people fun. And make money to pay the bills,” she said.
Right now, Rodney is the store’s only employee.
“Rhett helps me sometimes. He’s named for Rhett Butler because he’s the coolest guy in the movie,” said Rodney, a big movie buff, as she recalled Clark Gable’s memorable character in “Gone With the Wind.”
Rhett is a college student, majoring in economics and nutrition at the University of Vermont.
Her future plans include hosting a series of guest speakers, perhaps on Thursday nights now and then, who “come in and talk about weird staff,” she said.
George & Fred is open from noon to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends. Visit the website georgeandfred.com for more information.
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
