For most of the last five years, a walk through downtown Long Grove meant counting empty windows. Realty signs in the glass. A few anchors holding the line. Neighbors quietly asking whether the covered bridge was going to end up the only reason anyone still drove in.
Then, on Sunday, May 3, 2026, two storefronts cut ribbons at the same time on two different streets. That is the moment worth paying attention to. Not because two shops opening is a headline anywhere else in the region, but because in a 120-business historic district that has been losing more tenants than it gained, a coordinated grand opening is a signal about what the block is becoming.
What Actually Opened On May 3
The two new tenants sit a short walk apart, on the two streets that carry most of the downtown's foot traffic.
- Artistic Creations of Long Grove at 405 Robert Parker Coffin Road, a shop of handmade and artisan goods
- The Olive Tap at 302 Old McHenry Road, an olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting room
Both details matter. Artistic Creations is a first venture for Ellen Glassman, who spent close to four decades as a senior consultant and project manager at Allstate before deciding the empty storefront she kept passing on her way to morning Pilates was worth a lease. That is a specific kind of tenant, a resident who was already in town for another reason and chose to plant a business on the same street.
The Olive Tap is a different signal. It is not new to Long Grove. The original store opened in the village in 2006, moved once to a larger space, and closed around 2021 when the founders relocated to Colorado. Kelly Petrocelli, who lives in Long Grove and grew up working in the original shop, reopened it under the same name. A returning brand carries a different kind of underwriting than a first-time concept. It says the operator ran the numbers on the current rent roll and the current weekend traffic and decided the block pencils again.
Why The Timing Isn't Coincidence
The easy read is that two independent owners happened to sign leases in the same month. The harder read, and the correct one, is that both openings are downstream of a decade of public spending most residents saw as construction inconvenience while it was happening.
