"Having this restaurant in Batavia has been such a wonderful experience. It's been so refreshing to work with a city that truly cares about its small businesses and residents."
That was part of the goodbye from the owners of Everdine's Grilled Cheese Co., as quoted by the Batavia 5th Ward blog in September. In 2024 the city helped pay for the Everdine's build-out through a municipal grant program. That same approach is the best way to understand downtown Batavia this holiday season. Two longtime tables on Wilson Street closed within a week. The holiday calendar that follows is built around a different source of businesses, one downtown has been growing for itself, one ten-stall season at a time.
Two Wilson Street Tables Gone in One Week
Daddio's Diner at 134 W. Wilson St. served its last breakfast on Wednesday, Sept. 23. The Daily Herald reported that the Beltran family pointed to rising food costs and an expiring lease. The family opened Daddio's in 2007, and the building has held a diner since the 1960s. It was known for its 1950s retro decor, its "No Way Jose" special and its "Cup of Kindness" pay-it-forward program, which let customers buy meals for people in need.
Everdine's, at 227 W. Wilson St., followed on Sunday, Sept. 27, according to the Daily Herald. The concept opened in downtown Naperville in November 2016. In July 2026 the owners closed the Naperville shop to focus on Batavia, and they closed Batavia ahead of a planned international move.
So the two businesses left for different reasons. One was a nearly 20-year family diner facing costs and a lease. The other was a newer restaurant the city had helped bring in, closing for reasons that had nothing to do with Batavia. Either way, Wilson Street heads into November with two fewer places to eat. The rest of the season shows how downtown fills gaps like these.
The Ten Stalls at Wilson and Route 25
The Batavia Boardwalk Shops at 114 E. Wilson St. is a business incubator run by Batavia MainStreet. Small businesses rent affordable, small retail spaces, test their ideas and build a customer base before moving into permanent storefronts. The 2026 season is the program's seventh.
The season runs through Dec. 20, which means the holidays are the program's closing stretch. Saturday hours moved later starting Oct. 31. Here is the schedule from Batavia MainStreet for the rest of the year:
- Friday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Sunday: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Patch announced this year's ten tenants in February:
- Archives Chicagoland
- Bad Luck Club
- Clara Nicole Jewelry
- Gindo's Spice of Life
- Miss Lindy's Bakery
- Paper Love Collective
- Relish
- Shop Roogs
- The Soda Surf
- What One Woman Sees
These ten don't stay at 114 E. Wilson after Dec. 20, because the incubator is seasonal. That's the practical reason to shop them before the season ends. The bigger reason is what has happened to earlier classes.
Fourteen Graduates Already Running Downtown
Batavia MainStreet counts 14 Boardwalk alumni still operating in downtown Batavia. Some have their own storefronts, and others operate inside shared spaces such as Red Hive Market and Wilson Street Mercantile. If you've been downtown on a Saturday, you've probably walked past several of them without knowing where they got their start.
| Boardwalk season | Alumni still in downtown Batavia |
|---|---|
| 2020 | Light & Pine Collective, Desmond Brown, Dash Ten Works |
| 2021 | Farmdog Flowers, MoJo Handbags Et-Cetera, New Moon Vegan |
| 2022 | arlo.hendrix Baby+ Kids, The Candy Stop |
| 2023 | Thrown Threads, Simply Kirious Soaps |
| 2024 | Seapeak Style |
| 2025 | Tabletop Game Shop, A Rooted Home, Giron Guatemalan Apparel and Home |
Each class has sent at least one business into permanent downtown space, and the 2025 class sent three. That's the pipeline the Everdine's quote hints at. The city puts grant money into build-outs, MainStreet runs a low-cost place to try out an idea, and a florist, a vegan spot, a game shop and a home goods store all became year-round downtown businesses that way. By the time the 2026 class packs up on Dec. 20, some of next year's permanent shops may already be among the ten stalls on the list above.
The Nights Downtown Is Built Around
The two big evenings on the downtown calendar suit this kind of downtown well. They're walking events that send people from door to door, so the small shops get as much foot traffic as the anchor businesses.
Holiday Lantern Walk, Friday, Nov. 13, 5 to 9 p.m. Lanterns line the sidewalks, shops stay open later than usual, and a holiday trolley runs from one side of town to the other, Patch reports. New this year, Batavia MainStreet is selling a $25 wine ticket good for twelve one-ounce pours at twelve participating businesses. As of mid-October, MainStreet hadn't announced which businesses are taking part. The ticket is set up to send you to twelve stops, which is a good way to find shops you haven't been into yet.
Celebration of Lights, Sunday, Nov. 29, 5 to 7 p.m. The Batavia Park District holds this one on the Riverwalk, with Santa, the tree lighting, Christmas Tree Lane, reindeer, hayrides and other holiday activities. Batavia Public Library adds a story time from 5:45 to 6:30 p.m. at the Gustafson Research Center on the lower level of the Depot Museum. The Depot Museum also opens its free "Holiday Cheer" exhibit from 5 to 7 p.m. the same evening. You can do all of it in one evening on foot. Get to the museum early for story time and walk back out to the Riverwalk for the lights.
Celebration of Lights falls on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, so the Boardwalk Shops will be open earlier that day from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you want to shop the incubator and catch the tree lighting on the same trip, go to the stalls in the afternoon and head to the river after.
What's Coming In
The newest additions downtown follow the same pattern as the Boardwalk: local operators expanding a little at a time, often with some help from the city.
Sturdy Shelter Brewing opened a dog-friendly deck on the Fox River at 10 Shumway Ave. in August. It seats up to 40, Patch reported. Its outdoor season will depend on the weather from here, but the deck is now a permanent part of the riverfront.
Kitty Cocoa Cafe is a proposed cat-adoption cafe at 139 First St. Owner Alyssa Biala got unanimous City Council approval for the zoning change and a conditional-use permit, and a building permit was the next step. In August she told the Daily Herald she was aiming to open in November or early December. Batavia MainStreet's directory still lists it as "Coming Soon," so treat that date as a goal for now.
15 E. Wilson St., at the corner of Wilson and River, has an approved city grant of up to $150,000 for an upscale restaurant. City documents name the operator as River Street Hospitality LLC, owned by Chad Gravenites, who also owns The GOAT in Batavia. Up to $100,000 of the grant covers eligible improvements, and the remaining $50,000 is paid in $10,000 yearly installments once the restaurant is open. The council approved the grant on Jan. 20, 2026. The new restaurant has not announced a name or an opening date.
All three follow the same model as Everdine's 2024 build-out and the Boardwalk stalls. Downtown Batavia's new businesses tend to come from people already working there, expanding to a deck, a second concept or a storefront the city helped make possible.
If you're thinking about what a home near Wilson Street and the Riverwalk is worth while downtown keeps adding places like these, The Kelly Schmidt Group can put together a free home valuation based on recent sales near you. Then go enjoy the lanterns on Nov. 13.
