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One of the most charming aspects of Sycamore is the diversity of businesses and services available. For a small town, Sycamore is loaded with the unique and the unexpected.

Blue Moon Bikes
One of the more surprising businesses in Sycamore is Blue Moon Bikes, where visitors will find much more than just a bicycle sales and repair shop.

Owner Rod Griffis is, by profession, a nurse- anesthesist who owns a national anesthesiologist referral business called Sycamore Anesthesia Services, Ltd. For fun, he began collecting antique bikes, but the hobby got out of hand. “It got to the point where I had so many, my wife said I had to find someplace else to keep them,” he laughs.

So, in November 2001, he bought and renovated a building for his hobbies, and Blue Moon Bikes, a sales and repair shop, logically followed. A large part of the business is antique bicycle restoration, and Griffis also buys and stocks antique and restoration parts for those who do their own restoration work.

Since he now had the room, Griffis decided to share his collection and opened a “private museum,” which contains some rare vintage bikes, including a rideable high-wheel and pre-war bikes, as well as bicycle advertisements and accessories. But most are from the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s, featuring the Schwinn Stingray, his personal favorite. The shop is supervised by Manager Matt Mutchler, who, according to Griffis, “has more knowledge of Stingrays than anyone should have.”

“The Stingrays were kind of the muscle cars of bicycles—muscle bikes,” Griffis says. “They’re the most popular bikes with collectors.” He explains that these bikes were modeled after dragsters, with larger back tires. They came in either single-, 3- or 5-speed models, while the Kickback model had the unusual feature of back-pedaling to shift gears.

Griffis enjoys getting his bikes out into the community and participates in parades and other Sycamore events. He also sponsors the annual Kratefest, a bike show and swap meet that he brought to Sycamore eight years ago. Krates are a type of Stingray produced from 1968 through 1973, known for their shock- absorbing springs and jazzy banana seats. Blue Moon also offers a Whizzer club for afficionados of those popular motorized Schwinn bikes of the 1950s.

Griffis is proud to see his business as a participating member of the town, contributing to schools and community events. He is also an inspiration, taking something he loved and turning it not only into a business, but an integral part of the community.

211 W. State St., Sycamore • (815) 899-3100 • Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. • www.bluemoonbikes.com

Sweet Earth
(Formerly Ben Franklin)

Rich and Roseann Para began in downtown Sycamore in 1993 with a little bead shop. By 1996 they had outgrown their building and moved into the old Ben Franklin down the street, taking that store from its five-and-dime roots and renaming it to reflect its change to a modern, sophisticated jewelry and gift store.

In an effort to give the Sycamore Ben Franklin a fresher, more relevant look, Rich and Roseann decided to let the community decide what it should be called. A name change contest was held this spring, with the new name, Sweet Earth, revealed on Mother’s Day 2009.

The reason for this is simple: name recognition. As Roseann put it, the original Ben Franklin stores were hardware stores and five-and-dimes all rolled into one, and although the purpose of the store has changed, people still sometimes expect to find those five-and-dime items that are no longer there. It was felt a new name would reflect the store’s new purpose. And since the Paras are passionate about being part of the Sycamore community, they figured what better way to find a new name than to let the community decide?

The offerings of Sweet Earth are beautiful and include one-of-a-kind jewelry designed and created by both Paras. Rich is a graduate of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) with over 18 years experience, and Roseann is an experienced beader who learned from the master. The couple also offers a remount service in which a stone from an old piece can be transplanted into a new, custom-designed setting. “I also do fabricating, creating one-of-a-kind pieces from raw materials,” he says. While his main focus is sterling silver and handcrafted beaded jewelry, Rich also does jewelry repair.

In addition, the Paras offer jewelry-making classes and carry a top line of jewelry-making tools for beginners through experts. In 2005 they added an engraving service. Roseann, a certified engraver, notes that engravable gifts such as frames, clocks and champagne bottles are popular for weddings and other memorable events.

The Paras also carry high-quality, value-priced silk and real flowers, along with garden items and home décor. One popular line includes realistic resin birds, bird houses and planters. Roseann notes, “A lot of people use the bird houses inside, on a shelf or for accent pieces.” In addition, the store stocks several lines of cards, including Hallmark.

So what’s in the future? “We’re trying to get more into collectables,” Roseann says. “Also more exclusive types of toys. We carry learning toys for smaller children, as well as brands like Melissa & Doug and T-Y products.” The Paras are also looking for more American-made products, such as Bean Pod soybean candles. Roseann adds,“Our product mix changes with the season, so our store is always changing, always fresh.”

In their concern about the environment, the Paras have a Go Green Bag program, where customers can purchase an environmentally friendly bag for $5 and use it like a discount card for 10 percent off purchases.

341 W. State St., Sycamore • (866) 895-3011 Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. • www.bencrafts.com

Made Just For You Gifts

Looking for a store that shouts “Sycamore”? Look no further than Made Just For You Gifts, where owners Marcia and Ken Elliott have linked to the community on several levels.

Perhaps most obvious is the collection of popular Cat’s Meow collectible pieces. These charming designs include local buildings made specifically for the shop and include recreations of the DeKalb County Courthouse, Ellwood House, David Syme House, Rochelle High School, Rochelle Visitor's Center, Egyptian Theater, the DeKalb Municipal Band in the Dee Palmer Band shell at Hopkins Park, St. John's Church in Sycamore (which burned down in 2004), and the Sycamore Library. The newest pieces include the Sycamore Theatre, Popcorn Stand, Wally Thurow’s house, Milan Township School and the North Grove School Building, with more site recreations expected in the future.

As part of their tie with the town, most of the crafts offered by the Elliots are created locally. The store offers consignment opportunities for local crafters. According to Marcia, “We try to provide an outlet for crafters and artisans to show their work.” Also available are such Sycamore-centered items as souvenirs, postcards, signs and even a woven cotton afghan featuring Sycamore’s historical buildings.

The store offers everything from candles to handmade baby items, from personalized shelves to whimsical clothing for that adorable resin yard goose you so love. Marcia stresses that if you need something in a different size or color, it can be special ordered. There’s an impressive array of enticing teas and potpourris, as well as uniquely decorated clothing. As an extra, you can find decorations and items for every holiday all year long.

Come explore Made Just For You Gifts. Chat with the friendly staff and enjoy a sip of ice tea in summer or warm cider in winter. You’ll find a warm, homey place to find handcrafted gifts and home décor that are firmly rooted in Sycamore.e

338 W. State St., Sycamore (815) 895-8122 Mon.-Thurs. and Sat., 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Fri., 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sun., 12:30-4:30 p.m. www.madejustforyougifts.com