Publications & Sites 
Madden Home: eclectic and funky with vintage feel
Sheryl Roy, owner of Madden Home, said foot traffic and word of mouth drives business to her gift shop. | Jackie Plossoph~For Sun-Times Media
Madden Home
342 Park Ave.
Glencoe
(847) 786-4431
Hours: 10 a.m. To 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday
Article Extras
Updated: October 30, 2012 11:48AM
GLENCOE — When resident Debbie Haback noticed an empty downtown storefront on Park Avenue, she immediately called her sister, Sheryl Roy to tell her it was “the perfect spot” for Sheryl’s gift and housewares store, Madden Home.
“There’s a lot of foot traffic on this street,” said Roy, who is going on her second year at the location, “Plus, the people here are really loyal. Everyone tries to support me and I feel like they want me to do well.”
Madden Home, with its eclectic, funky decor, combined with feminine, vintage charm is filled with items such as picture frames, occasional furniture, house wares, accessories, candles, clocks, wall hanging, glasses, lamps and gifts. The store also carries a large selection of decoupage by the John Derian Company, which Roy said is a big part of the business.
Jan Cooper, of Glencoe, is a frequent customer who said she buys lots of gifts here for her clients.
“Sheryl has such great ideas,” Cooper said. “She’s a fabulous buyer and her store always looks so inviting.”
Roy has had several careers in the past, including a position as an advertising executive, and a business where she painted murals for children’s bedrooms. Madden Home, which was located in Deerfield for two years before moving to Glencoe, is named after Roy’s husband, Andy Madenberg. She said she wanted to honor him because he encouraged her dream to open the store.
“I opened the store when the economy was horrible, so there was no place to go but up,” she said, “I don’t advertise, and I think word of mouth and foot traffic have both made the store successful.”
“You buy something you like for someone as a gift, and then you end up buying one for yourself,” said customer, Rebecca Baim, of Highland Park.
Robin Subar is a frequent customer who said she has bought Australian pottery from the store that she hasn’t seen anywhere else.
“The store really reflects Sheryl’s warmth and her unique qualities,” she said.
Items are priced as low as $10.
“A lot of people come in because we get new things in all the time and they want to see what’s new,” said Susan Lynch, who has worked at the store for eight months.
Lynch met Roy when she was a frequent customer.
“I’d come in, and Sheryl and I would just start talking about different vendors and I’d offer suggestions,” said Lynch, who has worked in retail for 15 years, “She was looking for someone to work here and offered me the job.”
Roy’s favorite part of owning the shop is when she hears others talking about it.
“I love when people are walking in and I hear someone say to their friend, ‘This is the best store,’” Roy said. “And I love when I look out the window and see a kid dragging their mom in here.”
“The store reminds me of a lot of the stores in Aspen,” said Cooper. “You always find something you can’t live without.”
