Back in the day, many stores were named after their owners (see: Selfridge’s, Marshall Field’s, Bloomingdale’s). In the case of downtown Lake Geneva’s C.R. Goodfinds, many people think that’s the case too—but it’s not. It’s a play on words: “see our good finds.”
“It’s like, see what we have,” explains manager Mary Ferrini. “A lot of people think they’re my initials though!”
The carefully curated gift and home accessory shop, open for two years, moved locations this past February to the historic F.S. Moore’s Hardware Store space on Main Street. Owner Tom Konopacki (who also owns two other shops in Geneva, Ill.) had wanted to move from their previous Fancy Fair Mall location to a more permanent space.
Ferrini says when they took down the old awning on the building’s façade, they discovered the original hardware store lettering on the limestone. “The building owner restored the limestone and we loved that it added history to the building,” adds Ferrini. The staff also took out the drop ceiling, revealing original tin ceiling tiles; refinished the wide-plank maple flooring; added brand-new lighting and scraped the paint off of the front windows, which had painted-over portions.
The building’s heritage seems to unintentionally influence what C.R. Goodfinds prides itself on: “our brand is American affordable, and we like to say that everyone that comes in can buy something. And, we try to select all of our merchandise to be American-made,” says Ferrini.
Find beautifully-patterned rugs, delicioussmelling candles, vintage cocktail glasses, jewelry, art by local artists, homemade soaps, throw pillows and more. It’s all stuff that you may not need, but definitely want.
“We want [our customers] to feel like they’re coming to visit a friend—it’s that rapport that we have with them that goes a long way. I love that interaction with us and our customer—to make that personal connection,” says Ferrini.
C.R. Goodfinds, 830 W. Main St., Lake Geneva. 262-812-4101. crgoodfinds.com