Month: July 2025

Today marks the start of the Glen Ellyn sidewalk sales! My favorite downtown Glen Ellyn activity. Almost every store in our town hauls out their best products onto the streets and puts everything on sale! A section of Main Street is blocked off, and the street is lined with goodies and treats available at an awesome discounted price. Gather and Collect is honored to participate in this sale! I love working it more than I love shopping it. Though some may call me crazy for that, I love a good early morning and the hot sun. I have worked four sidewalk sales since working for Gather and Collect, and working such a busy day can give you a good handful of stories to tell. My favorite sidewalk sale story is the infamous day it rained. 

Leah and I had been working for Julie for about a year, and with one sidewalk sale under our belts, we felt confident about our second. We were at our old location on Main Street, the small one! Meaning, we hauled out almost half of our store every year, and put it under big sun tents, so people had some shade while they were shopping. We all had these beautiful white t-shirts on that said “Kindness crew”, which is horribly ironic if you have ever stepped foot in our store. The day was beautiful, sunny, and not a single cloud in the sky. But, what do you know, dark clouds start to roll in near the end of our long day, and all of a sudden it starts to downpour. I am not talking about a drizzle or even a normal rain. I am talking pouring. So, everyone is running around like crazy, trying to shove all our stuff inside before the clothes or vintage items get ruined in all the rain. And in the process, all our white shirts are getting totally soaked and see-through. Imagine the scene: a bunch of people running around like maniacs with stuff in their hands, basically half naked in the pouring rain. And it’s not just us, it’s all of Mainstreet! We finally get everything inside safely, away from the danger that is the outside world, and what do you know, the rain lets up, and it is again beautiful outside. 

As weird as it is, that’s why I love the sidewalk sale. It has created so many good memories for my coworkers and I. Stories that we still tell to this day. Photos that we still laugh at. It also helps us connect with you guys, getting to get outside, and engage with the community on a day where everybody is out enjoying the weather and our town. 

At Gather and Collect, we do a 15% discount on everything in the store! We are on Pennsylvania now, right around the corner from Main, and if you come down to us, you’re sure to find something fun for yourself or a friend. Also, I think our setup is always so cute! There might even be bubbles this year, so come visit us and enjoy our store! 

Stay awesome and keep collecting, 

Mallory

So, I have sort of introduced myself and the store. I have shown you all the places we love to eat and fashion tips from me to you. But you don’t know who we are! I’d like to introduce you to the Gather and Collect crew, the people who make Gather and Collect a home! 

Let’s start off with Julie, the starter of all of this craziness! Julie wants you all to know, “I am the owner/ curator of Gather + Collect. We’ve been in Glen Ellyn since May of 2011. I enjoy binge-watching serial killer documentaries, cheese, and floating in pools. Dislikes are most vegetables, chin hair, and assholes.” Is there anymore you need to know?

Next up is Heather, and boy, do we love Heather. Heather “is the glue that holds this shitsow together. Literally E6000 in human form. My likes are my couch and tv remote, serial killers, and cheese. Dislikes are basic: outdoors, organized outings, heat, and most people, floating in pools, chin hairs, and assholes.I am the BFF of the owner and have been here since 2018 or so!” I would like to add that she is also the one who buys all the snacks for the store, which I personally appreciate very much. 

Leah, or one of my closest friends, thanks to Gather, is an awesome member of our team. “I’ve been working here for 5 years in october! I’m now a junior at the University of Iowa, so you will mostly see me during the summer months! My favorite thing about Gather and Collect is our amazing puzzle selection.” 

Then there is Amanda! A newer member of our team, but loved just the same. “Hi! I’m Amanda, and I’ve been at G&C for just shy of 2 years. As is true for many, I drank the Julie Spiller Kool-Aid many years ago, and as fate would have it, I was lucky enough to land a job working for her. I live in Elmhurst and am a former stay-at-home mom, a soon-to-be empty nester, and an occasional writer/editor. My hobbies are: mindlessly scrolling through Instagram and spamming people with useless content, swearing, cuddling my dogs, and playing mahjongg. I also occasionally read, exercise, and spend time with my family and friends. Oh, and I’m a puzzler. Stay fresh, Cheese Bags. IYKYK.” 

And next up is Rose! “I am a new edition to the Gather and Collect family but I have known Julie for years! 🙂 I am an avid reader, love true crime documentaries and from that have a very morbid sense of humor. Come visit me at the shop!” Rose can’t have her photo up, so instead we drew this very lifelike, spitting image rendition of her for you all! 

Ophelia, our sweet, sweet little! “I’m Ophelia! Reader, writer, and collector with obsessions ranging from Taiwanese rap music to sassy socks and everything in between. Ask me about my dog!” 

And finally, there is I! I’m Mallory, but you can call me Mal. The Latin root for bad. I love music, gyros, and fun colors! I dislike mean people, rollercoasters, and the heat. There is much more to me than what I’ve written, but it is so hard to talk about yourself! Gosh, why don’t you try it! 

There is a lot more to all of us! A lot you can learn if you visit us at the shop, there is a new person every day with new fun things to talk to you about! Thanks for reading and learning a little bit more about us. 

Stay awesome and keep collecting,

Mallory

With Pride month coming to an end, I find it important to acknowledge that love should be a year-round endeavor! Here at the store, we surely think so. Our pride section is small, but mighty, and has many nifty gifts you might need to show those around you that you love them. We have everything, buttons, cards, socks, candles, flags, lots of knick-knacks that are perfect for last-minute gifts, and if you just need a pride treat for yourself! 

Fear is very prevalent in our political climate right now, for the queer and trans community. As a member of that community, I understand how horrifying it is to have your rights and love under attack. At Gather and Collect lots of past and current staff identify with queer identity, and a lot of our customers do too. This means that the people we love and care for are struggling and scared for their futures. That is why, here, you will always have a safe space to be yourself! We welcome everybody and anybody into our store; all your weirdness and craziness. Authenticity and love are so important to us. We show this love by supporting small LGBTQ+ businesses and supporting local communities. Fostering joy is such a powerful way to uplift your community, and we hope we do that here by making you laugh and feel comfortable within our walls.

We hope you find something that you enjoy in our store, whether that be pride-related or not!

As always, stay awesome and keep collecting,

Mallory