Rick Nagel

When Final Sale Is Over, Erdays Still Will Be a Part of Geneva

Lifelong Geneva businessman and Stage 4 cancer survivor Victor Erday III hopes to do some fishing after the liquidation sale of the men's clothing store that has been a Geneva icon since his grandfather started the business in 1925.

"Gone Fishing." Putting that shingle on the door sounds pretty darned nice right about now as the ice still clings to the sidewalks in sleepy, enchanting Geneva, IL. And it's exactly what lifelong Geneva businessman and cancer survivor Victor Erday III hopes to do once the liquidation sale is over at Erday's, the men's clothing store his grandfather founded almost 88 years ago. "I’ve actually been looking forward to this day," the store's co-owner said in a phone interview Monday. "We almost did this (liquidation) last year. All the brothers took a 50 percent pay cut just to keep it going, so we could do it for another year."  For old-timers like me, it's hard to imagine Geneva without Erday's, and we can only be grateful it lasted as long…

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Rick Nagel

Fond Memories, 'Made Especially for Erday’s Clothiers, Geneva, Ill.'

Share your memories of the store that's served Geneva for more than 87 years.

I don’t think I could call up my first memory of Erday’s clothing store, because I’m willing to bet my inaugural visit came before conscious memory kicked in. Everyone in Geneva bought men’s clothes at the corner of Third and State in those days, so I imagine I was smuggled into the Erday building like luggage, my mom buying a Christmas gift with a baby Rick Nagel tucked under the arm or my dad trying on a suit, a toddler doppelganger clinging to his freshly-tailored pants cuff.  But my memories of shopping at Erday’s are many and pleasant. They mark more than a few highlights in my life, as well as the lives of a great number of Genevans and Geneva-area men and women through the years. What’s the biblical quote? “When I was a child, I …

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Fall in Love With Downtown Geneva—and Win $50 Gift Certificates, Dinners for 2

More than 60 shops and restaurants are offering dinner or lunch for two, or a $50 gift certificate as prizes.

During February, the city of Geneva hosts the fifth annual “Fall in Love with Downtown Geneva” promotion. Residents and visitors are encouraged to get out and shop and dine in downtown and earn chances to win valuable gift certificates. More than 60 shops and restaurants are offering dinner or lunch for two, or a $50 gift certificate as prizes. Winners are drawn every other week so there are multiple chances to win. To register, simply visit a participating business and complete a registration form.      SOURCE: Geneva Economic Development Department

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Sweet, Delicious, Glittering and Therapeutic Grand Openings Coming Up in Geneva

OK, take the Sugar Path to Perlman Fine Jewelry, have a Moveable Feast and scale the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory on your way to a Therapeutic Massage.

The Geneva Chamber of Commerce announces a sweet lineup of grand openings in the coming weeks: Tuesday, Feb. 5, (4:30 p.m. ribbon cutting) — Sugar Path, 315 W. State St. in Geneva. For more information contact Michelle Adams at 630-624-2344. Thursday, Feb. 7, (noon ribbon cutting) — Perlman Fine Jewelry, 301 State St. in Geneva.  For more information contact Corey Perlman at 630-262-9090. Thursday, Feb. 14, (2 p.m. ribbon cutting) — Moveable Feast, 321 Franklin St. in Geneva.  For more information contact Monique Wallace at 630-845-3287.  Thursday, Feb. 28, (5 p.m. ribbon cutting) — Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, 1308 Commons Drive in Geneva. For more information contact Lisa Cruse at 630-208-1484. Wednesday, March 6, (4:30 p.m. ribbon …

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City of Geneva to Buy Up Parcels on East State Street

Some "assembly" required? The process starts with the purchase of the house at 617 E. State St., just west of Geneva Firewood & Mulch.

Geneva's City Council has approved the purchase of a long-vacant house and property to the west of Geneva Firewood & Mulch on the city's East Side. The purchase is one of several parcels the city is likely to acquire in an effort to improve the East State Street business corridor. In late January, the City Council OK'd a plan to spend about a $1 million for engineering work to improve East State Street from the Fox River to Kirk Road. According to that plan, East State Street would be widened, sidewalks improved and a streetscape created that would enhance traffic and pedestrian flow, business ingress and egress and aesthetics. The home at 617 E. State St. has been vacant for some time. It is within the East State Street Tax Increment …

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Erday's to Close After 87 Years in Geneva

The Beacon-News reports that Erday's, founded in 1925, starts a liquidation sale Thursday.

Erday's men's clothing store, a fixture in Geneva since 1925, will begin a liguidation sale Thursday, The Beacon-News reports. It is a sad day for Geneva and for anyone in the area who appreciates quality brand names, quality tailoring and top-notch service. The business was founded in Geneva in 1925, according to Erday's website. Three generations of family members have run the business since Victor Erday Sr. begain it more than eight decades ago. It has been a mainstay at the corner of Third Street and State Street, and many generations of Genevans have fond memories of shopping there.  “We knew the time was coming,” owner Victor Erday told The Beacon. "Erday's is now using 10 N. Third St. which encompasses 5,600 square feet," Erday's …

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60 Years Ago: The Most Devastating Downtown Fire in Geneva History

The Geneva Ace Hardware fire in 1953 burns to the ground most of the south side of the 100 block of West State Street, including the First National Bank.

Sixty years ago tomorrow, on the bitter cold and windy night of Sunday, Feb. 1, 1953, the clock at the First National Bank of Geneva stopped at 7:45 p.m., marking the apex of the Geneva Ace Hardware fire—very likely the worst downtown fire in Geneva history. And though he was just a boy at the time, longtime Tri-Com Central Dispatch Director Jerry Bleck, now retired, carries memories of the devastation to this day and compares it to the other well-known Geneva downtown fires. "I was only 4 years old in 1953, so a little young to have many of the fire details," Bleck said in an e-mail to Geneva Patch. "However, I had been working for the Geneva Police Department for eight years and Tri-Com and 9-1-1 was just 2 years old when the Kaiser's …

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Geneva Welcomes a Bevy of New Businesses

The Geneva Chamber of Commerce and Geneva Economic Development Department report a number of new businesses opening in town.

Geneva businesses are having all kinds of success of late. In addition to the recent opening Perlman's at the northwest corner of Third and State and the news that State Street Jewelers is moving to the former Merra-Lee location at the southeast corner of that intersection, there are a number of businesses that recently have moved in or moved over. Here is a list, courtesy of the Geneva Chamber of Commerce and the Geneva Economic Development Department.   Accuquest Hearing Center 2631 Williamsburg #207   Birdie's Nest Resale Shop 4 S Sixth Blue Lotus Massage Therapy 825 W State #203 Elements Therapeutic Massage 507 S Third #C Family Eye Care 1871-A S Randall #A & #B Lilka's Closet 217 S Third #LL Mr. Cromwell's Attic 219 S Third 2nd Floor …

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Mike & Miguel's Closed, But New Restaurant Could Follow in Footsteps

Reports: The popular Mexican and fast-food restaurant near Geneva High School has shut its doors, but there are hints that an upscale Mexican restaurant might be coming soon.

Mike & Miguel's, the popular Mexican restaurant that also sold red hots from across the counter, is closed. But what follows in its place will be of more than passing interest to folks in Geneva who love great food. According to a report in the Kane County Chronicle, the restuarant—which was super-popular with high school kids and adults for its great food, affordable prices and proximity to the school—closed its doors sometime over the hoiday season. Geneva City Administrator Mary McKittrick told the Chronicle the previous owners sold the business, and Economic Development Director Ellen Divita said the new owners already have applied for building permits. A commenter on the Geneva Patch Facebook page said she had heard the new owners …

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