With Mother’s Day approaching, downtown Highland Park celebrated its abundance of female-run establishments with the Women-Owned Business Whistle Stop Trolley Tour on Thursday.
Shoppers were given a lanyard and a list of more than 25 participating businesses to visit, collecting ribbons at each shop and hopping on one of two trolleys making the rounds. It was the first of what organizers hope to be an annual event celebrating the 100-plus women-owned businesses in the city.
Sandy Saldano, the owner of the massage therapy business Therapeutic Kneads and the main organizer of the event, said she wanted to help highlight such businesses and give the area an economic boost.
“We’re here to support each other, because if downtown is not vibrant and businesses don’t succeed, then none of us succeed, because empty storefronts are not good for anyone,” Saldano said.
Participating businesses had free demos, specials and giveaways as part of the event. Visits to each location also earned participants a ribbon. The more ribbons someone had, the more raffle tickets they got at the event’s afterparty.
“There’s something powerful about women showing up for each other — not just as business owners but as a united community,” Saldano said. “Behind every storefront on this tour is a story of passion, strength and female entrepreneurism. Supporting local women-owned businesses isn’t just about shopping, it’s about building each other up and inspiring the next generation of changemakers and showing them that women can lead, create and thrive together.”
The weather was clear, if a little chilly, but the trolleys were warm and shoppers’ lanyards quickly grew to comical sizes as they perused local shops.
Ilyse Strongin, with Ripple Public Relations, said owners and entrepreneurs from all types of businesses, from retail to restaurants, had come together for the event, showing the “support and the camaraderie of what downtown Highland Park is about.”
That included Sukhu Kalra, owner of the restaurant Indus Progressive Indian. She appreciated the strong presence of women in the downtown area that the event highlighted.
“It’s been pretty amazing to see everybody come together, and support, and be excited about another woman-owned business,” Kalra said. “It’s important to help each other out and support each other, and that’s what I’ve seen.”
At artisan spice and tea shop Love that Spice, owner Marlena Jayatilake marveled at how many fellow businesswomen there were. The proximity to Mother’s Day was no accident, Jayatilake said, especially for her shop.
“We are mothers. We are wives. We take care of people,” she said. “That’s what we do. We take care of people.”
For Jayatilake at least, the day proved to be a success. The shop was “packed” throughout the evening, she said.
She encouraged people to drop by the many shops and support the downtown businesses.
“Not just because we’re women, but because we’re fantastic,” Jayatilke said, laughing.
