NORMAL — Four months in, Yvonne Wilson still hasn’t gotten used to the success of her uptown business.
“The whole thing is a surprise. It’s so exciting for me every day that people really love what Butter has going on and they keep coming back,” she said of Butter Twice and Again, the secondhand clothing store she opened at 120 E. Beaufort St. in late August.
“We’re so happy to be able to provide a service and get good feedback,” she said.
The business is one of several recent changes in uptown Normal as the town’s busiest district kicks off 2019 — including plans to build $30 million, five-story mixed-use building on the east side of Uptown Circle.
New businesses
Wilson, who’s also manager at The Coffee House at 114 E. Beaufort, said it was a natural transition to move her business from inside that establishment to a space of its own when One Life Gallery and Boutique closed next door.
“What I’m doing here at Butter was a hobby of mine already, shopping and thrifting and buying what I liked, whether it fit me or not. … My closet was masses of things I was hoarding,” she said with a laugh. “I’m doing the dirty work, finding and cleaning things and making a smaller selection so you can find something neat and unique.”
Brian Peterlin, Bloomington, and his son, Jacob, 13, take a look through the window at Butter Twice and Again, 120 E. Beaufort St. in Normal, on Friday, Jan. 4, 2019.
Wilson said business has been good, even in an area full of boutiques and clothing stores, in part because most of her items are between $10 and $30.
“People come in here a lot like, ‘Whoa, I can afford this,'” she said. “I’m trying to promote thrift shopping and sustainability of clothing. … It’s definitely items you didn’t know you needed or wanted because it’s not anywhere else.”
Butter Twice and Again is currently open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Wilson said hours expand to 6 p.m. when Illinois State University is in session, and she plans to open on Mondays in the spring.
Empty spaces
Officials are still working to fill some vacant business spaces in uptown, including some that started in 2018.
The relocation of Bill’s Key and Lock from 127 E. Beaufort St. to 1509 N. Clinton Blvd. in Bloomington has left a storefront empty in uptown Normal.
“The town is in contact with commercial brokers representing clients who are looking for space in uptown, and we have a list of people who have contacted us looking to start, expand or move a business to uptown,” said Normal Economic Development Director Sally Heffernan. “When we learn of an impending vacancy, usually from a building owner, we provide them with contact information for potential tenants.”
The former Merry Ann’s Diner at 100 S. Fell Ave., which closed in May, is also vacant as ownership and Merry Ann’s work out how to end the restaurant’s ongoing lease, but other businesses have expressed interest in the space, said Heffernan.
The loss of Babbitt’s Books leaves another vacant storefront in uptown Normal.
Multiple businesses also have inquired about the former Babbitt’s Books at 119 E. Beaufort St., which closed Dec. 30, said Heffernan.
Bill and Janet Streenz sold the parcel to 121 E. Beaufort Properties LLC, which also owns the neighboring D.P. Dough, for $275,000 in October, according to county property records.
Some uptown businesses remain in place but face changes.
Finished improvements include upgraded lighting in event spaces and a new key system for parking, and Atrium plans a “complete rooms and public property improvement renovation plan, starting in November,” said Tembo.
Campustown Supply remains at 121 W. North St., but that space is being marketed for new tenants after it was sold to Jason Barickman for $412,500 in December, according to county records.
“We are seeking a restaurant and/or retail tenant,” said Jill Guth, a broker at Guth and Associates, of the space.