Early in 2025, the commercial space inside Riverside's train station sat empty after its bike shop moved out. This November it has a wine shop, a ticketed village magic night on the calendar, and a recent history as the indoor stop on the Holiday Stroll. Downtown's most recognizable building now does more than commuter duty. From the Arts Center's senior holiday class on Nov. 13 to the Stroll on Dec. 4, a lot of the season passes through 90 Bloomingbank Road or happens within a short walk of it.
Here is the season in order, followed by how the depot ended up at the center of it.
- Friday, Nov. 13: The Riverside Arts Center's Senior Art Club starts its holiday-themed session at 43 E. Quincy St. It runs through Dec. 18 with no class on Nov. 27.
- Saturday, Nov. 14, 5:30 to 7 p.m.: Riverside Magic & Mingle at the train station. Registration is required.
- Monday, Nov. 16: "Perpetual Archives" opens in the Riverside Arts Center's gallery at 27 Riverside Road and stays up through Feb. 26.
- Friday, Dec. 4, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.: The Holiday Stroll in downtown Riverside.
A Bike Shop Moved Out, and the Village Picked a Wine Shop
The space inside the station sat empty after the bike repair shop Gears2You moved to Brookfield in early 2025. In September 2025, the Riverside-Brookfield Landmark reported that the village board had approved a three-year lease with Riverside resident Kristie Wagner for a boutique wine shop called Vinette. The lease runs to Sept. 17, 2028, at a fixed $500 a month for the first two years and $750 for the third.
Those rent figures matter because the village is the landlord. A board vote set the terms, and the space went to a resident-run shop built around tasting and conversation rather than grab-and-go retail. Wagner described her goal to the Landmark this way:
"I want to demystify international wines and allow people to have space to discover new wines."
Vinette, the Little Wine Shop, celebrated its opening with a ribbon-cutting on Feb. 12, 2026. When the village welcomed it in a February news flash, it listed wine for purchase and tasting, glasses to drink on site, a wine club, and bottles to take home. The hours announced at opening were Tuesday through Thursday from 1 to 7 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from noon to 8 p.m.
The station had already joined the holiday season before the shop officially opened. The Landmark's preview of last December's Stroll listed Vinette as "Riverside's new boutique wine shop located inside the train station," pouring samples and tastings for adults that night.
Nov. 14: A Magic Show in the Depot
The village's own event calendar uses the same building. Riverside Magic & Mingle takes over the train station on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The village's event roundup describes a 70-minute live show by magician Bill Cook and 20 minutes set aside for socializing with neighbors.
The event is BYOB, so guests can bring beer, wine, seltzer or another adult beverage to drink during the evening. The village pitches it as a night out with friends or a date night, and says space is limited. You can register through the village's recreation registration page.
The pairing makes sense. A wine shop operates inside the building, and the village holds a bring-your-own-bottle evening in the same building. Anyone who has stopped at Vinette on a weeknight already knows where the event is.
Dec. 4: The Stroll and the Station's Place in It
The village lists the 2026 Holiday Stroll for Friday, Dec. 4, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in downtown Riverside, with lights, music, carolers, hot cocoa, and "cheerful surprises around every corner." The schedule lives on the village calendar.
The Stroll goes back half a century. Last year's edition ran Friday, Dec. 5, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. The Landmark's preview called it the 50th. Under that plan, Santa and Mrs. Claus would arrive by fire truck at Centennial Park, at Longcommon Road and Forest Avenue, at 5:30. Fifty lanterns carried by the Riverside-Brookfield High School poms would lead the way, and the tree would be lit at 6 p.m.
That tree lighting also got a permanent name in 2025: The Brian Brennan Memorial Tree Lighting Ceremony. It honors the late Brian Brennan, who led the Stroll's organizing for 30 years and was named Riverside's Man of the Year in 2004. Amy Regan, a longtime resident on the Stroll committee, told the Landmark the lighting "will forever be named in his honor," and described the evening like this:
"The entire village opens up — it's festive and fun, and it's great to see so many people come out. The streets being blocked off means that everyone is in the middle of the celebrations."
Last year, the station was the Stroll's indoor stop
Most of last year's Stroll was outdoors: pony cart rides, a fire pit, and tents in front of Village Center. The train station was the exception. It held the second season of the Santa Holiday Artisan Market, and the RB poms performed every 15 minutes from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
The 2025 market vendors were nearly all local makers:
- Hand-stamped cards from Crafted by Sheila Gentile
- Felt and glass ornaments and paper house gifts by Gelse Tkalec
- Riverside apparel and throw pillows from the Riverside Junior Woman's Charity
- Handcrafted popcorn from Liz Carey of Carey Corn
- Handbags and small accessories by Mary Margaret Collins of Two Crazy Daisies
- Soy candles, shampoo bars and gift sets from Hilary Quinn of Hilary's Soap Box
- "Not Your Average Oatmeal" children's books by Riversider Abby Regan
- "Olmsted's Riverside: Stewardship Meets Innovation in a Landmark Village" by Cathy Jean Maloney
- Balloon art by Tommy Twister
How last year's route spread out from the station
From the depot, last year's plan spread across four corridors. The Landmark listed these stops:
- Centennial Plaza, East Avenue and North Longcommon Road: a treat station at the Water Tower from Riverside Parks and Recreation, stocking decorating at Rosie's Tailor Shop and Cleaners at 9 N. Longcommon, and model trains, a petting zoo and s'mores at Riverside Garage, 18 East Ave.
- The library and Township Hall: family photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus plus Riverside ornaments for sale at the Riverside Public Library, 1 Burling Road. Next door at 27 Riverside Road, the District 96 fourth- and fifth-grade choir sang.
- Riverside Road and Quincy Street: luminary lanterns for the Sculpture Garden and a ceramics pop-up at the Riverside Arts Center, 32 E. Quincy St. Nearby were the Grinch and inclusive crafts with WSSRA at the Parks and Rec Community Center, 43 E. Quincy St., where pony carts also loaded.
- Burlington Street: $5 brandy-spiked eggnog at The Chew Chew, 33 E. Burlington St., and live holiday music at La Barra, 2 E. Burlington St.
The Arts Center's listing for its 2025 Stroll activity described the lantern project as free. It also mentioned drinks and a pop-up holiday shop.
Next door, La Grange Park holds its free Tree Lighting Ceremony the same Friday, Dec. 4, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Memorial Park amphitheater, 132 West Oak Ave., according to the La Grange Park Chamber. Friends and family in the next village over have their own lighting that night.
Two Stops Last Year's Map Didn't Have
Since last December, a few things have changed between the station and Burlington Street.
June & Lark, 39 E. Burlington St. This curated gift shop opened on Aug. 1, a few doors down from The Chew Chew. The Landmark's August story says it stocks household goods, home decor, and gifts for people who love meditation, golf and bees. Owner Sara Burcheri told the paper the idea is "to be able to find something for anyone and to be able to build a gift," putting a few small items together into one personalized present. The announced hours are Wednesday and Thursday from 1 to 6 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and by appointment Sunday through Tuesday. More is on the shop's website.
"Perpetual Archives," 27 Riverside Road. The Riverside Arts Center's exhibition opens Nov. 16 in the same building where the District 96 choir sang during last year's Stroll, and it runs through Feb. 26. The Arts Center's listing names artist Sam Kirk alongside TaskForce Prevention and Community Services & PrEP4Teens, and Gerber/Hart Library and Archives.
For residents 55 and over, the Arts Center's Senior Art Club runs a holiday-themed session with Riverside Parks and Recreation. It meets from Nov. 13 through Dec. 18 at 43 E. Quincy St., the same building as last year's Grinch photo stop, with no class on Nov. 27.
All of these stops are within a few minutes' walk of the depot at 90 Bloomingbank Road. That includes a wine shop on a village lease, a magic show booked by the village, and a market room for the Stroll's local makers. On Dec. 4, start with the village calendar, then the station.
At The Anne Monckton Group, we love the weeks when Riverside's downtown feels like one big shared living room, from Bill Cook's show at the depot to the moment the Brennan tree lights up. If you're thinking about a move this winter and want an agent who knows these blocks, book an appointment with us. We're glad to talk it over.
