Month: June 2025

At Gather and Collect it’s very rare to find people bringing in their own lunch, or not eating for that matter. Someone’s always got a snack; we are hungry women! As hungry women, we have a few spots we frequent on the regular, things you can always find us enjoying on the job. 

First up is Glen Oak, a classic in the Gather and Collect rotation. This place is a local diner that offers a wide range of options to suit your taste. My classic choices are their gyro or a grilled cheese sandwich. Maybe a little childish, but if you have it, you’ll understand. Heather and I always get the grilled cheese sandwiches together. Grilled cheese Tuesday we used to call it. My favorite day of the year is when it happens. If you don’t like those options, don’t fret; they have everything from burgers to omelets. A great choice for families or when you’re starving but don’t know what you’re craving! 

We frequent Javis Glen Ellyn, which also has a newer location in Wheaton. The Glen Ellyn is a take-out only store that serves my favorite tacos in the world. A classic steak taco with cilantro and onion always makes my day ten times better. When Leah and I always order, she gets the crispy chicken taquitos. I used to never get those, but I had one bite of hers, and my world changed. Javis does catering and small orders! If you are a fan of Mexican and haven’t tried them out I urge you to! Great restaurant, great people, and great food! 

Main Street Pub is also a go-to for us. Julie always orders their burger sliders, and man, do they melt in your mouth. This classic pub is great for families too, but has flavors and drinks that work for everybody! From chicken wings to burgers, it is a classic pub that will make you feel right at home. Their food is always fresh, even when we order for to-go, and when I go to pick it up, it is always ready. 

Another great spot is Nemic Brothers Pizza, a newer pizza shop in downtown, right next to the movie theatre! This spot is always changing vendors, and we are hoping this one stays, which is exactly why you should give it a visit! White garlic pizza and meat lover options, there is a pizza for literally anyone here. They also have a giant cookie that is basically a cake and is one of the best cookies I have ever had. 

If you love supporting our small business, I know you’ll love supporting the small businesses we love. These food options really have been staples in the gather and collect food rotation. Odds are if you come in around lunch time, you’ll find us eating from one of these four restaurants. So, give it a try next time you are looking for somewhere to eat! 

Stay awesome and keep collecting,

Mallory 

In my last post, I mentioned how easy it is to get lost in our store. From the clothing section to the back vintage rooms, there is a lot you can miss. Thats why in this post I will be giving you a guided tour through Gather and Collect! Our old store was much smaller, so small that you could see most things in under a couple of minutes. And there were only two small hallways! Can you believe that! 

In the front half of our store, you can find all our newer options like cards, puzzles, toys, candles, and more. We have so many cards spinners its easy to feel disoriented, never be afraid to ask us for help! We even have some handy Hokusai gifts to celebrate the exhibit at the College of Dupage. 

There is a separate room in the back right corner of the store that has goodies as well! Right past our pride section, you’ll find a little room full of notebooks, hats, candles, thank you cards, and even baby socks. This is an extension of the new stuff, and is a nifty room we got the joy of filling. 

As you walk down the hallway, past our clothing section and dressing room, you will find two rooms to the right side. The first room is our colorful, full of everything, you guessed it, colorful. This is my favorite room because I love vibrant colors. You’ll find a lot of lamps in here and fun vintage childrens toys, and other random knick knacks. 

Next to the colorful room is its evil sister, the dark room. Not a photo rendering dark room, but instead a room where you can find all our brown, black, tan objects. Things like vases, an odd collection of wooden elephants, wicker baskets, and a wall of vintage photos. This moody room is perfect if you are into neutral tones. 

Leaving behind these two rooms, we take a sharp right, and on our left is the living room. Or that is what I like to call it, hasn’t caught on yet…But what a neat hodgepodge room! 

Next is the kitchen! This is my second favorite room, because it is themed just perfectly. With china and loads of plates and mugs, you can’t help feeling like you’re back in your grandma’s kitchen. All the pieces in here, besides aprons, are all thrifted china! I love looking through this room. The treasures you find are amazing. 

Last is the bedroom, tucked away in the back corner of the store. It’s called the bedroom because there used to be a bed in it, although it’s gone, the name still holds. Here you will find VHS tapes, floral posters, pottery, and little knick-knacks, sometimes the occasional toy. 

Now that you’ve gotten acquainted with the store, you can see how easy it is to get lost in. But getting lost in our store isn’t the worst thing that can happen to you. I’d like to argue that it can be fun. 

Stay awesome and keep collecting

Mallory 

When walking into Gather and Collect, you might be so taken aback by the craziness that you glance over our clothing section, or the back of the store, for that matter! Many people miss the back section of our store, because only a hallway leads to it. With summer sneaking up on us, transitioning from winter to summer clothing can be challenging for a lot of people. I know it’s tricky for me. I get so comfortable in my big sweaters and sweatpants that switching to shorts and tanks seems like the worst thing in the world, almost impossible. Not only because you find you’ve someone grown out of everything you used to own, but it is also hard to get used to all those different colors and cuts! 

There is no need to worry, or maybe you should worry, who am I to say? Gather and Collect has a great selection of women’s blouses, skirts, dresses even men’s shirts that can help you rebuild a summer wardrobe. All of our clothes are second-hand, hand-picked by Julie, except for a few wholesale pieces. Those are usually easy to pick out from our second-hand selection, having a newer look. Here are a few examples of skirt and shirt pairings that I think are just adorable. 

And one of our cutest dresses! 

Don’t forget the men’s shirts, this is my favorite, just look at the blues! 

The biggest tip I have for people when it comes to clothing is not to be afraid. Don’t be afraid of patterns, colors, or length. Wear something outside your comfort zone as often as you can; all of a sudden, you will find your comfort zone is a lot larger. Most of all, wear the things that make you happy, whether or not they happen to be in fashion. Wear the thing that everyone is wearing and the thing that everyone says is ugly; all that matters is that you enjoy it and find comfort and confidence in what you have on your body. Outfits always look better when the person in them is comfortable and happy. Fashion is such a cultural phenomenon, based so harshly on the political and social standards that surround us and our world. When we accept these things about fashion, we can also break through them and wear things that aren’t dictated by the world around us but rather by what we enjoy. So that is the biggest tip I can give you about fashion: find joy in it! Find joy in the things you can find here, at Gather and Collect, because we shop with joy just as much as we wear it.

This is more of a real tip than a sappy love yourself one. I learned something from a former coworker and friend when thinking about patterns. If you have more than three patterns on, then you can wear anything. Polka dots! Stripes! Zig Zags! The world is your oyster, and all of a sudden, it looks so good together! Experiment with your style and learn what suits your body type, but steer clear of comparing yourself to others while discovering what looks and makes you feel good.

It’s also essential to make sure you have a lot of basics in your closet. It is super easy to become obsessed with buying statement pieces, and hey, if you want to buy a lot of statement pieces, do you! But you have to have the basics to build around those statement pieces.

So, what I am saying is, mix it up, be confident, and love yourself.

Stay awesome and keep collecting

Mallory