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Feb 2010  |  By Liz Logan  |  Comments (0)

What's New and Hot on the North Shore

TAGS: February 2010 magazine, Fresh

Make It Better is getting busy, scouring the North Shore for the best in new places to shop and things to buy.

From our February magazine:

Just Like Mom's–"Life should be sweet" is the motto of Sweet Molly's, recently launched by Molly Porterfield of Winnetka. The mother of two specializes in "old-fashioned, homemade desserts, like Mom used to make," including cinnamon streusel coffee cake and English toffee. She caters parties throughout the North Shore, and her best-selling brownies with Kahlua-buttercream frosting always make an impression.

Available at Grand Food Center in Winnetka and Glencoe, Lakeside Foods in Winnetka, Schaefer's in Skokie and online at sweetmollys.com.

Bears That Care–Teaching kids social-emotional skills can be fun, if the new plush toys called Kimochis are any indication. Kimochi means "feeling" in Japanese, and each 13-inch character (Cloud, Bug, or Huggtopus) comes with three interchangeable facial expressions and a guide for parents and teachers on helping children express themselves in positive ways. The author? Communicaton expert Ellen Pritchard Dodge of Wilmette.

Available at the Chicago Children's Museum or at www.kimochis.com

Brain Tease–A new Libertyville toy store, the Whatsit & Doohickey Company, offers offbeat amusements, puzzles and toys for all ages, such as LED barware, robots, a time-zone globe, chemistry sets, martini lamps and not-your-run-of-the-mill board games. Owner Kitty Testa says her mission is to provide the creative-thinking North Shore population with "intelligent, puposeful, fun.

Silky Transition–For exotic and eye-catching bags, scarves, jewelry and coats, look no further than the eclectic accessories shop The Silk Road, which recently outgrew its Evanston space and popped up in Wilmette. Owners Gail Gilbert and Gavin Lendon of Skokie hope to add more Asian-inspired clothing in the future.