"No surface is being left untouched." Ramis Memishi of Five Kings Properties said that in mid-September about Gateway Square, the shopping center near York Road and Ogden Avenue that has stood there since 1985. A week later, downtown, Pete Tortorello described his downtown buildings at First and Washington streets almost the same way. "I'm kind of bringing them back to life," he said.
The two men are working in different parts of town, and they are doing the same thing. Five Kings bought Gateway Square last year. Fairfield Properties, Tortorello's company, has bought five downtown buildings since November 2025. The new shop signs, the renovation crews and the license requests on the Village Board agenda this fall mostly trace back to those purchases. Hinsdale is getting new businesses largely because its commercial buildings are getting new owners.
A Forty-Year-Old Center Starts Over
Gateway Square has had a lot of empty storefronts. Two of the biggest are the former Hua Ting space and the two-story building that housed Fox's Pizza until 2018. Memishi has said that finding tenants for them is a priority. He also called the property "very tired" and said it carried a lot of deferred maintenance.
Five Kings plans to rebuild the courtyard, update the signs and color scheme, repave the parking lot and add new lighting. The company is still working with the village on approvals and is aiming to finish the whole project "next year," according to Memishi's mid-September comments. Memishi has also said he wants restaurants that "can thrive throughout the day but also into the evening." That points to more than a shopping stop near the intersection.
New tenants are moving in before the renovation starts.
- The Book Nook opened Aug. 12. Owner Alison Kozlow has lived in Hinsdale since February 2020 and picked every title herself. The shop sells books for babies through teens, along with gifts like stuffed animals and book bags. You can rent it for children's birthday parties and book club meetings, and Kozlow plans to add book subscriptions, story times and author readings.
- Paris312 sold party decor online for 10 years before opening this store. Its first shop, in Lincoln Park, closed several years ago, and its production center in West Town is still running. In Hinsdale, the retail side faces the courtyard and the production side faces the parking lot, with helium tanks and bins of balloons. There are 20 shades of teal and blue alone. The company can also handle setup and teardown for events.
- I Design Salon & Blow Dry Bar has been at Gateway for years. In February it moved to a new space in the center three times the size of its old one, with a Davines Signature Head Spa and a lash and brow bar.
- Sage Wellness Sanctuary is set to open in October. Plans include a meditation and movement studio, private contrast therapy suites, a wellness shop and an elixir bar, with memberships from basic to luxury.
The Book Nook and Paris312 held a joint grand opening on Sept. 19. Kozlow noted that every business that opened in Gateway Square over the past year is female-owned, and said the owners are working together to bring the center "back to its glory days."
Downtown, the Same Move One Building at a Time
At Gateway, one owner controls a whole center. Downtown, ownership is spread across many separate buildings, and Tortorello has been buying them one at a time. All of his are on or near the southwest corner of First and Washington. His own office is at 11 E. First St., so he can walk from one building to the next.
The most visible is 102 S. Washington St. John Papenhausen built it in 1888 for his tailoring business. At the time it was the only commercial building on the south side of First Street, and Papenhausen lived upstairs with his wife and six children. Alixandra Blue and Studio W. are staying on the lower floors. Above them, Tortorello is building a two-floor, three-bedroom apartment with a view of the business district from the turret window.
| Address | What's there now | What's changing |
|---|---|---|
| 11-21 E. First St. | 10 Friends, Sweet William, Blue Mercury | Tortorello's first purchase, November 2025 |
| 102 S. Washington St. | Alixandra Blue, Studio W. | Two-floor apartment, 2,025 square feet, above the shops |
| 8-10 W. First St. | The "yellow house" | Getting gray siding and new HVAC and electrical; Frame Bridge, a national online custom framing shop, to open when work is done |
| Behind 8-10 W. First St. | Former salon, 700 square feet | New siding, a bay window, skylights and a door moved to line up with the walkway to First |
| 104-106 S. Washington St. | My Eye Doctor, offices upstairs | Upstairs offices become four one-bedroom apartments as leases end |
The small building behind 8-10 W. First is the one most worth watching. Tortorello says the open area now used for parking could become a brick patio for the right tenant. He says the space could be "a food use. It could be retail. It could be anything," and adds, "I think we need more food options for quick bites in Hinsdale." Memishi has said much the same about Gateway's empty restaurant spaces. Both new owners see room for more places to eat in town.
What Changes When a Building Changes Hands
Tortorello has been direct about what comes with the upgrades. He said many downtown buildings that one family owned for decades have changed hands recently, and that rents will go up as the buildings are improved. "You're making a significant investment in the property and there's a lot of spending power in the community," he said. The 700-square-foot building behind 8-10 W. First will rent for $4,000 a month once it is upgraded, according to Tortorello.
The apartments may be a bigger change than the storefronts. Tortorello estimates downtown Hinsdale has only 20 to 25 apartments, and says most are vintage units that are "kind of tucked away." The four one-bedrooms at 104-106 S. Washington will range from 670 to 840 square feet. To convert those offices, he has to put sprinklers through the whole building. He expects people selling their houses to want a smaller place in town. "There's such an opportunity for people to live in downtown Hinsdale, whether they're selling their house and they want to keep a local presence, even a smaller footprint," he said.
Toni's Patisserie and Cafe shows the same kind of handoff happening with a business instead of a building. The Hinsdalean has reported that Hinsdale residents bought the cafe and said a profile of the new owners was coming. In mid-September, village trustees backed two new liquor licenses for the new owners. One covers packaged wine, champagne and beer. The other is a restaurant license for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. The previous owners could serve only beer and wine, and only at lunch and dinner. Trustees vote on Oct. 6.
What's Still Waiting on a Date
As of Sept. 30, several of these projects are still plans. Here they are by how firm the timing is.
- Toni's Patisserie liquor licenses: Village Board vote Tuesday, Oct. 6.
- Sage Wellness Sanctuary: slated for October, no specific day announced.
- Frame Bridge at 8-10 W. First St.: opens after renovation, with no date announced.
- Gateway Square renovation: still waiting on village approvals, with completion targeted for next year.
Some town projects are also wrapping up this fall. Trustee Michelle Fisher said the Robbins Park playground work, including a new tree house, should be done by the first week of October. Trustees also backed $194,176 for new equipment at Dietz Park, including side-by-side slides and a saucer swing, to be installed in early 2027. The formal vote on that is also Oct. 6.
The village's free Fall Family Fest is on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. It takes place at Hinsdale Middle School and downtown, with trick-or-treating at participating businesses. If you're trick-or-treating at the First and Washington corner, you'll find some buildings with fresh siding and some still mid-renovation.
When downtown buildings change hands, the upgrades can bring higher rents and new apartments over the shops. Chaz Walters has followed those shifts in Hinsdale and across the western suburbs for more than three decades. If you're weighing a smaller place close to First Street, or thinking about selling to make that move, Let's Connect.
