Downtown Lake Zurich Fall Events on the New Main Street
October 8, 2026
October 8, 2026
Before Vanessa Griffin and Jessica Vealitzek had a storefront, they had a picnic table in Breezewald Park. Griffin would bring a stack of books, and Vealitzek would make recommendations. The table sat around the corner from the shop they would eventually open.
That shop is Commonplace, an independent bookstore at 10 E. Main St. Its grand opening on Sept. 19 was timed to Ela History Day and the Antique & Artisan Market at Lions Park across the street. Commonplace is a small business on a rebuilt street, and that pattern describes downtown Lake Zurich this fall. The village's big project for Main Street was a street. Small, independent storefronts are building on it. The big lakefront development that was supposed to complete downtown has fallen through.
At this point in 2025, drivers were following detour signs around Main Street and Old Rand Road. The village announced a full closure of that intersection starting Sept. 29 and lasting through mid-November, with signed routes to keep businesses reachable.
The work was part of an $11.6 million improvement project that began in April 2025. It rebuilt Main Street from the lakefront promenade east to Church Street, with a new road, medians, sidewalks and curbs, traffic calming, landscaping, a new water transmission line, lead service line replacements and stormwater upgrades.
The piece everyone talked about sits in the middle of the intersection. It is a 55-foot-wide emblem of custom-cut clay brick pavers, built by PAVERART Enterprises of Lindenwold, New Jersey. The company assembled it in New Jersey, corrected the cuts, took it apart and shipped it to Lake Zurich for installation. Owner Mike Olivito said building it took about four months. Mayor Tom Poynton's description was direct. "This will be our landmark for Lake Zurich."
The emblem was scheduled for completion in the first week of November 2025, with paving, parkway work and final punch-list items running through the second week, weather permitting. The village also kept the number of bricks secret while it considered a contest. That leaves a good guessing game for anyone crossing it on foot this month.
Small businesses opened while the construction was still going on. Chic Cafe & Crepes, at 8 N. Old Rand Road, had been under its current owners since mid-August 2025, as the Daily Herald reported that September. Its operator, Dan Latcu, told the paper the new intersection made the area "much more attractive" for locals and visitors. The cafe now takes online orders and reservations.
The newcomers joined businesses that were already there. Koffee Cup Restaurant at 30 E. Main St., spelled Koffee Kup on this year's Wine Walk roster, and Stompin' Grounds Cafe at 64 N. Old Rand Road were both part of the downtown coffee scene the Daily Herald covered in 2025. Griffin pointed to that history when explaining why a bookstore made sense here. "Lake Zurich has had staying power with the coffee shops and restaurants," she said. "This is a good addition to the ecosystem."
Commonplace opened with about 2,500 new and used titles and roughly 500 more on the way. Its owners have lined up visits from authors with local ties, including bestselling writer Mary Kubica and Amy J. Elliott, along with workshops, a book club and displays of work by local artists and makers. The shelves are custom-made oak, and one of the tables is Griffin's old kitchen table. The store's website now says it is open.
The Lake Zurich Area Chamber of Commerce Fall Wine Walk runs Saturday, Oct. 10, from noon to 3 p.m. on Main Street and Old Rand Road. Tickets are $40 for 22 stops, the event is 21 and over, and the first 75 registrants get a free Chamber wine tumbler. Guests check in for a map, then walk at their own pace and get 1-ounce pours at each participating business. When we checked, the check-in location was still listed as "will be announced shortly," so look at the Chamber's event page before you go.
The participant list works as a directory of downtown, and almost every name on it is local. Here are most of the published stops, grouped:
Two bookish stops, Commonplace and Bubble Tea & Books, are on the same walk, and the Ela Historical Society is pouring alongside a dojo and a butcher shop. The list shows who signed up for the day, so if you are planning a weekday visit to any one shop, check its hours first.
While Main Street filled in, the biggest development plan downtown fell apart. Block A, at 173 W. Main St., is 1.7 village-owned acres made up of 10 consolidated parcels, directly across from the promenade on the lake.
In September 2025, the village board gave preliminary approvals to The Waterfront Lake Zurich, proposed by Deerfield-based THG Holdings. It called for a two-story building with a restaurant and 19 townhouses in five three-story buildings. Officials hoped it would end more than 20 years of steady interest in the site that never turned into construction. Earlier coverage noted the site's difficult stormwater, grade, water-table and fill conditions.
On Aug. 17, 2026, the board voted unanimously to end the proposed sale. Assistant Village Manager Michael Duebner said both parties concluded "the buildability of that lot from a commercial perspective is not economically viable." Village Attorney Scott Uhler said the decision "returns control of the property to the village."
The village board will decide what happens to the site next. Until then, the restaurant that was supposed to anchor downtown's lake views doesn't exist. Downtown's food and drink this weekend comes from storefronts a short walk east along Main Street, plus the vendors in Paulus Park.
The Wine Walk shares its weekend with two other events. Jack O'Lantern World, now in its sixth year, opened Oct. 1 at Paulus Park and runs through Nov. 1. It has more than 5,000 hand-carved pumpkins along a three-quarter-mile illuminated trail, and this year's biggest pumpkin weighs 2,212 pounds and came from Kansas. The event is organized by All Community Events, which is based in Lake Zurich. Event parking is at 215 S. Rand Road.
On the nighttime trail at Paulus Park, Phase Three Brewing Company is pouring and Speedy Tacos and My Funnel Truck are serving food. The trail walk takes about 45 minutes. Displays include a 40-foot whale named Echo, a 40-foot horse named Sally and a ship inspired by Homer's "Odyssey." Carvers work by hand only, with no power tools allowed.
A good route for Saturday starts with a book from Commonplace at 10 E. Main St. From there, cross the compass to Chic Cafe on Old Rand, collect the Wine Walk pours between noon and 3, and then head to Paulus Park on Rand Road for the pumpkin patch before 5.
Some of our favorite conversations start with a question about a Main Street storefront or what's next for the lot across from the promenade. If you're curious how these downtown changes affect where you live now or where you'd like to live next, Kate Fanselow and our team are always glad to talk it through. Let's talk about your next move.
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