The North Shore Weekend February 6, 2021 by JWC Media

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SATURDAY FEBRUARY 6 | SUNDAY FEBRUARY 7 2021

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GIVING BACK

Northfield mercantile owner Lisa Chrisopoulos exemplifies persistence P22

From Iraq to the North Shore: A Circuitous Route Infectious disease specialist Dr. Rami Taha of Lake Forest shares a harrowing tale of how he got out of his native Iraq P16

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MILLION DOLLAR DEALS SALES OF HOMES PRICED OVER $1 MILLION WERE UP 17 PERCENT IN 2020 OVER 2019, AND NORTH SHORE REALTORS ARE SEEING NO SIGNS IN EARLY 2021 OF A SLOWDOWN IN THE LUXURY MARKET. BY MITCH HURST THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

Last year was, unexpectedly, a banner year for the real estate market on the North Shore. Ask any broker back in March or April what their 2020 prospects were for the market as the COVID-19 pandemic was unfolding and they at best expressed uncertainty. Fast forward to January 2021 and what turned out to be a record year for home purchases, especially for the luxury market, shows no signs of dropping. According to Midwest Real Estate Data, homes at all price points, with an average sale price of $1.6 million, were up 47 percent in Kenilworth last year over 2019. They were up 17 percent in Wilmette with a price average of nearly $1 million; 30 percent in Winnetka with an average sale price of $1.3 million; and 21 percent in Glencoe with an average sale price of nearly $1.2 million. Interviews with North Shore real estate brokers and realtors this week reveal a confidence that these trends will continue throughout 2021. “There’s been a huge push in January of even more buyers and there’s less inventory so it’s so competitive. I was showing a $1 million-plus property yesterday and there were back-toback showings. We were in and then we had to be out at a certain time because there was another showing behind us,” says Carly Jones, with Engel & Völkers Chicago North Shore. “There is an urgency right now for buyers but Continued on PG 10

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847.441.5730 • chicagonorthshore.evrealestate.com 903 Green Bay Road • Winnetka, Illinois *Some sales sold while affiliated with another brokerage. ©2020 Engel & Völkers. All rights reserved. Each brokerage independently owned and operated. All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. Engel & Völkers and its independent License Partners are Equal Opportunity Employers and fully support the principles of the Fair Housing Act.

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SATURDAY FEBRUARY 6 | SUNDAY FEBRUARY 7 2021 |

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INDEX

GIVING BACK 16 from iraq to the north shore: a circuitous route

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Infectious disease specialist Dr. Rami Taha of Lake Forest shares a harrowing tale of how he got out of his native Iraq

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NEWS MILLION DOLLAR DEALS

From PG 1

not the same urgency for sellers. There are so many buyers out there who need to get into places because they have deadlines; they have leases coming up or they’re selling their house and they have to find something else. I’m not seeing the same urgency in sellers.” Even so, Jones says the luxury market will continue to be hot as long as buyers are insisting on more space and on homes that are newly constructed or fully updated. “I think the luxury market will continue to stay busy like it has been because people have a desire to change,” she says. “It’s not just COVID-19. People have decided they want to change their lifestyle and a main factor in that is getting a new house. People are willing to spend a little more on houses again. Because we do have the vaccine on the horizon and people are getting it, there are estimates of when we’re going to be back to normal, but no one really knows when that’s going to be. I think we expected to see a little bit of a letup from the market being so busy but I’m not seeing that. People are really just saying, ‘Why should we stop now?’ It’s almost a

in a lot of places. Luxury is going to be really in demand this year, especially new construction, because no one wants to deal with building and finding an architect. They want it done, and they'll pay for it.” Radnay says she regularly entertains calls from buyers who have luxury condos in Chicago, but are looking to move to the North Shore. “They want what they have in the city, but they want it on two floors up here, so I'm really seeing an interesting year for luxury,” she says. “The lake market up here is doing outstanding, and there's not much to buy right now. I just sold a property on the lake. My buyers were going to be in the city forever, and … they bought it. And now they're going to be doing either a gut rehab or rebuild. The market’s changing, and it's changing fast.” On the North Shore, the spring real estate market, including luxury properties, has traditionally been viewed to start after Super Bowl Sunday. Even before the uptick in the market prompted by the pandemic, some brokers have advised their selling clients to jump in the market earlier in the year. “Many people believe the spring market starts after Super Bowl Sunday. That is the North Shore norm,” says Colleen McGinnis, with @properties

A fabulous indoor pool is just one of the luxury amenities at this 135 Dickens Road property in Northfield, recently sold by Linda Martin of Coldwell Banker. philosophy of just enjoying life. If they ever thought about moving, they’re asking, ‘Why are we not?’” Jena Radnay, with @properties in Winnetka, believes the increase in demand from buyers for luxury properties, along with the drop off in inventory, is starting to impact pricing. “Because of the increase in demand, there is an increase in price. That's why prices have gone up,” she says “When you look at the luxury market, it's actually doing better than last year. I'm seeing it already because the people that could sell their $1 million to $1.5 million house in 2020 were staying or upgrading. Now they're selling their houses to people from the city who want more space. In turn, they are buying something bigger. So, they are getting the price they want for their house, which gives them more motivation to buy something bigger.” Radnay says she’s seen a significant need for $2 million-$3 million houses, based on the demand from potential buyers. “Luxury was great last year. It was an incredible segment of the market, and I'm predicting this year will be just as good.” she says. “We've got some big blockbuster names leaving Michigan Avenue and Michigan Avenue is the hub of what attracts people to the city. People are going to want more space, they're not going to want to be in the city and they have money. “This is not just the North Shore; it's going to be

in Winnetka. “It’s been the same for years. I'm of the belief you put your house on the market right away after the first of the year and be sold by Super Bowl Sunday, because at the beginning of the year, typically, there's not a lot of competition.” McGinnis takes a somewhat philosophical approach in her analysis of what drove the demand for luxury properties on the North Shore in 2020, and what will carry that demand deep into 2021. “2020 was a very unique year. We're a very mobile society here on the North Shore, a get-up-andgo society. We go to work. We go to exercise. We go out and volunteer. We belong to organizations. We're doers and we're goers,” she says. “All of a sudden, most of that stopped and because it stopped, I believe people were reassessing, having time to really reflect on their lifestyle, to prepare and renew themselves, and maybe make a change not only in housing but in life in general.” McGinnis says that people in the city, successful young professionals in particular, were at home in 2019 and at the beginning of 2020 enjoying their luxury condos and townhomes with high ceilings and great closet space. A lot of them were casual lookers on the North Shore, but it was difficult for them to leave their urban lifestyles. “Now 2020 comes around and people are together more with their children. They're working from home, the kids are going to school remotely,

custom homes a year, and in 2020 we doubled that.” “There were younger families moving out to the suburbs who had been waiting to do that, so there was some pent-up demand,” says Birov. Aisen says another factor is that millennials have stayed in the city longer than previous generations—all while building the resources necessary to purchase luxury homes in the suburbs. “We've seen a trend where families start growing and they are on top of one another. They saw they have time to be with their kids and thought, ‘Well, what can I do now?’,” McGinnis says. “Many of the condos and townhomes in wonderful places in the city don’t have backyards. Then they closed down the parks and the lakefront With room to spread out and luxury features galore, this home at 1793 Reserve Court in Highland Park is listed by Carly Jones of Engel & Völkers. and that made a difference. This up and their friends start moving up to the North spring and summer I saw so many families out Shore and they’re pulled away from the city to the walking their dogs with their children and it was so beautiful to see families reconnecting and not neces- suburbs,” Aisen says. While the pandemic has benefitted some indussarily running off to work, to exercise, to volunteer, tries, including the luxury real estate market, it has to do all the things we have been so used to doing. I also created challenges. think that 2020 has given many of us the oppor“From a construction standpoint, you’re likely to tunity to reflect on our lives and to make changes see prices go up because material prices have gone going forward. I think it changed our values.” In early spring, as larger luxury homes and estates up. You look at the price of lumber, for example. It’s tripled since summer. You’re going to see pricthat had been on the market on the North Shore ing pressure go up hand-in-hand with increase in for an extended period of time began to sell, the demand,” Aisen says. “You’re not going to buy the market for new construction in the luxury space same product you were able to buy two years ago for began to take flight. With fewer updated luxury the same price.” houses for sale, Steven Aisen and Victoria Birov, Another issue lurking in the weeds for the the husband-and-wife team that owns and operates market this year is interest rates, which are highly Newgard Custom Homes in Northbrook, experifavorable for buyers and helping to fuel demand enced the impact of the housing boom.

Imagine working from home in this luxury property in Winnetka (as shown on the cover, listed by Jena Radnay). for luxury homes. With a new administration, it’s “We had a phenomenal 2020. With custom building, people wanted to move out of their current unpredictable how long the low rates will last. “I think we’re all predicting that it will remain situation to something that accommodated more work at home and had more outdoor space,” Aisen says. “We usually do two or three or four luxury Continued on PG 12

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NEWS MILLION DOLLAR DEALS

From PG 10

a vibrant market. Interest rates are low, demand remains high, and inventory is incredibly low,” says Janet Karabas, with the Noah and Janet Group and Engel & Völkers Chicago North Shore. “If someone’s thinking of selling their home, now is the time.”

for a million and a half, then when you're coming up here you're looking to buy the same size house or something a little bigger at the same price, or maybe you're going to bump up a little bit.” Veech says she also believes that as 2021 moves along it’s likely potential sellers will come to market as the pandemic fades, making for a more robust

With breathtaking views of Lake Michigan, 41 Deere Park Drive in Highland Park is the epitome of luxury (listed by Jamie Roth of Engel & Völkers). With demand so high for luxury properties and listings often receiving multiple offers, Karabas advises buyers who come with an offer to be prepared. “I coach buyers to be ready, to prepare, and have their ducks in a row,” she says. Sellers need to line up their ducks as well, even though the market currently is in their favor. “What I’ve seen from realtors is that there’s a lot of prep work, staging, and painting, because that’s what buyers expect, especially with COVID,” Karabas says. “Buyers out there are educated. Most of the homes that are selling are show ready. It’s like a beauty pageant.” Karabas’s partner in the Noah and Janet Group, Noah Levy, believes the market for luxury is being influenced by changing notions of what home means during the pandemic. “The overall meaning of home changed, so in addition to working at home, additional private and common space was needed for family members to be able to have their own space and also common space for all to enjoy together. More space translated to higher price points throughout the North Shore,” Levy says. “Another driving force of continued sales in homes over a million dollars is the lack of inventory, which means that homes hitting the market will likely sell at a higher price point than they would have in the past year. We need more inventory for our buyers so if you are contemplating selling your home, get an evaluation as it's a great time to jump on the bandwagon and join the market.” Chris Veech, with @properties in Winnetka, says that part of what’s fueling the market for luxury homes on the North Shore now are educated buyers who’ve been around the track once or twice. “I would say that the million-dollar trend is bigger, but I also think a lot of the people who decided to move up here weren't your typical first-time homebuyers. A lot of them were people who were established in the city in their long-term home, or so they thought. But then they found those homes to not have enough space, to feel too cramped, and to not have the yard space that they wanted when the world changed,” Veech says. “City houses are expensive. If you're coming from the north side of the city somewhere, if you're selling your city house

luxury market in the spring than in previous years. “Older sellers who decided not to sell last year because it didn't feel like a safe time to be opening your house up for showings are going to be getting ready to do that later this year,” she says. “They’ll have had a chance to get vaccinated and the world becomes a little bit more normal and open. So, I'm thinking that we're going to have a later spring market than what we’ve had in the last few years. “Agents have a lot of buyers. We're looking and struggling to find quality inventory for the number of buyers that are still out there. There are a decent amount of showings going on but there isn't a lot of great inventory, not just for buyers looking for luxury on the lake, but buyers in every price point.” Jamie Roth is with Engel & Völkers in Winnetka and he says the Chicago market has had a significant impact on the luxury market on the North Shore. “Fundamentally, work has changed for the longterm, so the commuting issue has dissipated or, in some cases, completely disappeared,” Roth says. “Those in the city with larger homes were finally able to sell them to people in smaller residences who wanted more space but preferred to remain in the city. You also have people in the suburbs who were able to sell their smaller homes enabling them to move up to a larger one. “As for 2021, I think we’re all predicting that it will remain a vibrant market. Interest rates are low, demand remains high, and inventory is incredibly low. If someone is thinking of selling their home, now is the time.” In a tight market for luxury, the private listing service is as important as ever for realtors and brokers, says Winnetka Compass broker Eileen Collins. “Potential sellers are reluctant to make a move as we have adjusted to a stay-at-home/work-at-home economy. We are seeing about 30 percent less new inventory from January of last year. Consequently, desirable properties are often selling before hitting

the market, with multiple offers. I see this trend continuing until the long-term projection for the pandemic economy stabilizes,” Collins says. “It is a classic supply and demand scenario. Due to the pandemic, what was an increasingly sluggish migration of families to the suburbs has taken on a new urgency. Buyers are seeking the classic North Shore home—a big sprawling house with room for the whole family plus office/workspace.” Milena Birov with @properties in Winnetka, chalks part of the demand for luxury homes on the North Shore up to political challenges in the city of Chicago and how they impact parents. “There are a few factors that drive the suburban market up. First of all, the schools. Chicago school teachers most likely are going on strike,” Birov says. “That drives parents to move to the suburbs.” There’s an urgency in the current market that Katie Traines, with @properties in Winnetka, says she’s hasn’t seen in a while, if ever. “I was out with a client who's relocating and on three occasions we pulled into the driveway and the broker called us and said that the property went under contract,” Traines says. “I had a property that's just over the million-dollar mark sell in two days a week before last. It's a nontraditional home that you would have expected to take quite a bit longer to sell.” Traines adds that new buyers on the North Shore have broadened their horizons, so to speak. “People aren't really locked into one community like in the old days, like, ‘I will only live in Wilmette.’ They're looking everywhere the inventory is good, especially as work at home continues,” she says. One big question that remains is if and when inventory will eventually catch up with demand. Scott Lackie, Designated Managing Broker with GGL Realtors in Lake Forest, says it’s a bit early to prognosticate. “It’s hard to predict. I think it will eventually catch up, and when it catches up, I think prices will start to stabilize,” Lackie says. “COVID is a huge component, and interest rates are tangentially involved. Right now, interest rates are a big incentive

and fourth quarter skyrocketed for home sales. People wanted to move much more quickly,” Martin says. “This is going to continue in 2021. The spring market will start quicker as interest rates might start to inch up.” While the luxury market has always required a personal touch, like other agents and brokers on the North Shore, Martin says that an emotional connection with clients is as important as ever. She held social distancing events for clients and potential clients during the summer, including a pickle ball party, and has relied on written notes and regular communication with clients during the pandemic. The pandemic has not just prompted a migration to the North Shore, it’s also caused an increase in North Shore residents buying homes on Florida’s Southwest Gulf Coast. Long a winter vacationing spot for those from the North Shore, and also a retirement destination, the market for luxury properties in the area is exploding. “The South Florida Gulf Coast has always been an area that the North Shore flocks to. They just do. They’ve owned second homes here. They own anywhere from Naples to Fort Myers,” says Lesley Barton, a North Shore native who’s with Coldwell Banker Sun Star Realty in Punta Gorda, Florida. “A lot them move and retire here as well. There are a lot of New Trier alums, and I can tell you that because I run the New Trier Alumni Group here.” Barton’s company saw sales of homes between $800,000 and $10.5 million jump 85 percent in 2020 over 2019, and she sees no dip in the market on the horizon. “Because the market is so tight, I have buyers that are selling homes $21,000 to $75,000 over asking,” she says. All of these trends speak to the unexpected—and unprecedented—societal conditions that created the perfect storm for Americans to reassess their futures and think differently about the idea of home. Most tragedies, regardless of scale, produce a silver lining, and as much as the pandemic has taken an unimaginable toll, the real estate world might benefit, and not just financially.

Lesley Barton, a North Shore native who’s with Coldwell Banker Sun Star Realty in Punta Gorda, Florida, saw sales of homes priced between $800,000 and $10.5 million jump 85 percent in 2020 over 2019—many of them second home buyers with New Trier ties. for people to get going. It can make a huge difference in purchasing power.” As long as interest rates remain low, Linda Martin of Coldwell Banker in Winnetka sees the market heating up earlier in the year in 2020 than in past years. “Because of COVID, referrals were faster and more furious than ever late in 2020, and the third

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“I think COVID changed the real estate market for the positive. I think the real estate business became more personal again,” says Jones. “It had been very transactional. COVID made clients want to have personal interactions and check in and talk to each other. We had time to slow down and I think that will continue. I hope that continues because the favorite part of my job is the personal.” THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

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GIVING BACK

FROM IRAQ TO THE NORTH SHORE: A CIRCUITOUS ROUTE INFECTIOUS DISEASE PHYSICIAN AND FRONT-LINE HERO, DR. RAMI TAHA, RECOUNTS A DARING ESCAPE—FEATURING A TAXI DRIVER’S SNEAKY TACTICS AND TAHA’S CONVINCING DISGUISE—FROM HIS TURBULENT HOMELAND 25 YEARS AGO. BY BILL MCLEAN THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

Good thing the taxicab driver that smuggled Dr. Rami Taha out of war-torn Iraq stashed Taha’s duffel bag near the cab’s engine. Had the hired smuggler simply placed the luggage in the trunk, Baghdad-born Taha—now a Lake Forest resident and infectious disease physician with practicing privileges at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville—would have been arrested and jailed, at least, for not having received special permission to leave his native country in the mid-1990s. “I had my degrees and certificates and transcripts in that duffel bag, important paperwork, along with a few clothes and two small books,” Taha recalls. “I knew, wherever I would end up, I would have to prove I graduated. The Iraqi Army opened up the trunk at the checkpoint (in northern Iraq) but never looked under the hood. To escape like I did, as a doctor, you either had to forge a passport or pay a smuggler. Police had a warrant out for my arrest. My driver made me wear a traditional Arabic gown so that I’d look like a villager. He also made me take off my glasses because they made me look educated.” “I could not see anything. We stopped at the checkpoint, just outside the Kurdistan Region. An officer asked my driver,

Dr. Rami Taha in Lake Forest. PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBIN SUBAR ‘Who is this?’ He assured the officer that I was a villager.

The officer asked for my name, and I made one up,” recalls Taha.

ABOVE: Taha and friends outside of Bagdad Medical School. RIGHT: Taha in the Al-Kindi Hospital in Taiz, Yemen. He volunteered at the hospital while on his journey from Iraq to Canada.

| SATURDAY FEBRUARY 6 | SUNDAY FEBRUARY 7 2021

Harrowing, indeed, for a 23-year-old shortly after his final year in medical school. But Taha—currently on the f ront line in the battle versus the invisible enemy COVID-19—had faced and overcome fear at an early age, beginning with the IranIraq War (1980-1988). Iran bombed Iraq once a week for years in the conflict. “Big blasts,” Taha says. “I remember in 1982 or 1983, I was at my grandparents’ house when a bomb fell nearby. Glass broke. My childhood before that war was an okay one, actually, pretty normal. I enjoyed school and spending time with f riends. I traveled every summer with my family.” Iraq President Saddam Hussein eventually closed all airports to the populace; only envoys could fly out of the country. “Everybody felt like they were sitting in a huge prison,” says Taha, adding residents also weren’t allowed to fly during the first Gulf War (1990-91). “Hussein, in the beginning, wasn’t so bad. Later, though, Continued on PG 18 THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

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606 Tiverton Road, Lake Forest $1,995,000 | www.606tiverton.info

457 E Wisconsin Avenue, Lake Forest $1,995,000 | www.457wisconsin.info

697 Bluff Road, Lake Bluff $1,749,000 | www.697bluff.info

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NEW LISTING

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SATURDAY FEBRUARY 6 | SUNDAY FEBRUARY 7 2021 |

GIVING BACK FROM IRAQ TO ILLINOIS

From PG 16

you couldn’t say anything bad about him or the government outside of your house. He had layers of security systems. Guards in those systems listened and took you away if they heard you say anything anti-Iraq. We were conditioned to believe that anybody could be listening, anywhere.”

days. “I remember seeing the Turkish checkpoint after my time in the safe part of northern Iraq and taking a deep breath,” Taha says. Next stop: Yemen, where his father, Kamil, built a dam. Taha, mostly as a volunteer, treated countless patients with malaria in the country at the southern end

when I run. Bad thoughts disappear, too. It’s a form of meditation.” Taha started running regularly after being diagnosed with a heart condition. He completed the Chicago Marathon two years ago and has raced in at least 16 half-marathons. His go-to rock songs are Journey tracks, including “Don’t Stop Believin’” (the Chicago White Sox’s World

Series Championship team theme song in 2005) and “Faithfully.” Off the jogger’s paths and race routes, Taha via his group, Infectious Disease Consultants of Northern Illinois, had been the lone infectious disease physician practicing at Condell f rom the start of the COVID-19 pandemic until a team of other such physicians arrived last October to strengthen the medical center’s response. “The early days of COVID were rough,” admits Taha, who had treated hundreds of COVID-19 patients through the first seven months of the pandemic and feels he couldn’t have done it without the help of his nurse practitioner Amanda Zimmermann. “I spent 12 to 13 hours a day at work. I came home exhausted, depressed. Things, though, are definitely better with all the protocols and systems we now have in place. People are less sick. We’re aware there could be another surge or two. But what ’s been good and encouraging is that we’re not scrambling anymore.” It never gets old for Taha, facing something daunting and emerging triumphantly, be it in a hospital, the middle of a desert, or on a city street.

Taha in the mountains of Yemen. Iraq invaded Kuwait in early August 1990, igniting the first Gulf War. Bombs then fell again in Iraq, this time practically every night. Baghdad denizens had to do without electricity for 40 days. Taha and his family members would hear the planes, usually at 9 or 10 p.m., and brace themselves. “Like clockwork,” he says. “They targeted certain structures. You’d hope a bomb wouldn’t hit your house, but there was always the possibility that one would find it. Sometimes we’d leave our house to watch what was going on outside. But fear ... it was always there.” Hussein remained in power after Gulf War I. So did prevalent fear. Several years later, Taha, armed with a medical degree, chose to seek safer ground. He risked imprisonment because he was desperate. The taxicab ride started at 5 a.m., traversed between mountains, and ended in the Kurdistan Region where he stayed in hotels for two months after passing the Iraqi Army checkpoint. His mother, Iffat, helped him secure a visa in Turkey, which cost $1,000 for 10

of the Arabian Peninsula. “It was there where my interest in infectious disease care increased,” he says. Taha then lived with his parents and siblings (two brothers and a sister) in Canada for about three years after the family received a collective immigrant visa. While living in Canada, he met a woman named Eman online, who lived in the Fort Lauderdale. The long-distance relationship lasted 18 months, and they got engaged and married in the United States in 2001. Eman has worked as a dentist in Waukegan for 14 years. “I got to know her through a group chat,” says Taha. “Social media wasn’t around much then and text messaging wasn’t a thing. I found her to be smart and ambitious.” They have three children: Maya, 14; Zeena, 9; and Adam, 8. The Taha family has called Lake Forest home for eight years. “Everything I do is for them,” Taha says of his children. “When I see them happy, I’m happy. I like to run, and I do think about them when I’m running. Stress clears

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ABOVE: Taha as a young child. LEFT: A young Taha at a Bagdad park.

THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

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3481 BRADLEY COURT | HIGHLAND PARK | $2,950,000

135 DICKENS ROAD | NORTHFIELD | $2,499,000

2535 ROYAL TROON COURT | RIVERWOODS | $990,000

BREATHTAKING VIEWS OF CONSERVANCY AND LAKE!

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THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME ACHIEVE

315 SUNSET ROAD | WINNETKA | $1,295,000 *MULTIPLE OFFERS

608 EARLSTON ROAD | KENILWORTH | $919,000 *SOLD WITH MULTIPLE OFFERS

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SOLD*

1930 HARRISON STREET | GLENVIEW | $800,000

1122 W. ARMITAGE AVENUE #302 | CHICAGO | $607,500

*REPRESENTED BUYER

*SOLD OVER LIST PRICE WITH MULTIPLE OFFERS

SOLD*

502 OXMOOR COURT | ST. CHARLES | $624,900 *UNDER CONTRACT – MULTIPLE OFFERS! REPRESENTED BUYER

SOLD*

2171 PATRIOT BOULEVARD | GLENVIEW | $499,000 *REPRESENTED BUYER

SOLD*

I look forward to serving all your real estate needs in 2021! If purchasing a second home or relocation are on your list of New Year’s resolutions, I am licensed in Illinois and Wisconsin (Indiana coming soon) and possess an extensive referral network. I look forward to working together to find your dream retreat!

1770 W. NEWPORT COURT | LAKE FOREST | $600,000 *REPRESENTED BUYER

UNDER CONTRACT*

SELLERS: Do you have questions about the pandemic’s impact on the luxury market and its influence on your home’s value? Last month I represented Coldwell Banker’s Midwest Region as a guest expert panelist alongside Elite Luxury Agents throughout North America. TEXT OR EMAIL for a transcript of the interview and my insights. BUYERS: We are frequently encountering multiple offer scenarios as a result of tight inventory and historically low mortgage rates. Are you familiar with an escalation clause and how it can strengthen your purchase offer? CONTACT ME for details and to schedule a virtual strategy session.

1905 RED HAW LANE | ST. CHARLES | $389,500 *UNDER CONTRACT IN 5 DAYS-MULTIPLE OFFERS!

SOLD*

Connect with Linda on social media to get updates on local events and ways to support the North Shore. @LiveAndPlayNorthShore @LindaMartinRealEstate @LindaMartinWinnetka @LindaKMartin

303 LINDEN AVENUE | WILMETTE | $349,000

LIVEANDPLAYNORTHSHORE.COM | 847.275.7253 | LINDA.MARTIN@CBEXCHANGE.COM

*REPRESENTED BUYER AND SELLER!

SOLD*

2310 W. NELSON STREET #204 | CHICAGO | $302,500 *REPRESENTED BUYER

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314 LINDEN AVENUE | WILMETTE | $349,000 *REPRESENTED BUYER AND SELLER!

SOLD*

1 E. SCOTT STREET #804 | CHICAGO | $270,000

(Michigan & Indiana Coming Soon)

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ACTIVE LISTING

ACTIVE LISTING-JUST LISTED!

ACTIVE LISTING

175 E. DELAWARE PLACE #6605 | WINNETKA | $712,000

2268 WASHINGTON DRIVE | NORTHBROOK | $538,500

822 JUDSON AVENUE #4 | EVANSTON | $275,000

1925 LAKE AVENUE #202 | WILMETTE | $267,500

VINTAGE UPDATED 2BR 2BA CONDO

The property information herein is derived from various sources that may include, but not be limited to county records and the Multiple Listing Service, and it may include approximations. Although the information is belived to be accurate, it is not warranted and you should not rely upon it without personal verification. Coldwell Banker Realty are independent contractor sales assosciates, not employees. ©2021 Coldwell Banker Realty. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker Realty fully supports the principles of the Fair House Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Owned by a subsidiary of NRT LLC. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker Logo are registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.

THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 6 | SUNDAY FEBRUARY 7 2021 |

LIFESTYLE & ARTS

NORTH SHORE FOODIE

CHOCOLATE-COVERED CHERRIES

RECIPE AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY MONICA KASS ROGERS INGREDIENTS For the cherries: One 16-ounce jar stem-on Amarena cherries in syrup, drained or two 8-ounce jars stem-on maraschino cherries, drained For the fondant: 2-1/3 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar 1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

Chocolate and Valentine's Day are a forever pairing. For me, the choco-heart tradition is dipped in memories of my Aunt Ruth. She had the loudest laugh, the thickest auburn hair, and the worst record of timeliness. But when she got to the party, her laugh came too—along with jokes she'd tell (forgetting the punchline) and armloads of gifts. On Valentine's Day, that would mean heart-shaped paper boxes stamped in gold, with satin bows, lace trim, and little frilled paper cups full of chocolate-covered cherries. If Ruth were still around, I think she’d like these very-cherry homemade chocolates as much as I loved those frilly boxes. I'm sure you'll like them too. To make the chocolates, I use pitted

stem-on Italian Amarena cherries (which you can find in a cute, 16-ounce jar at Trader Joe’s). I wrap the cherries in fondant made with confectioner’s sugar, sweet butter from pasture-raised cows, best-quality cream, with a little pure vanilla extract, and then dip them in high-quality melted semisweet chocolate. You'll want to make these at least a few days before Valentine’s Day. Once the chocolate has set up, you’ll put them in an airtight container in the fridge. After a few days, the fondant around the cherries inside has a chance to soften and liquefy a bit. But if you can't wait that long—the cherries are just as yummy with the fondant still firm. Happy Valentine's Day!

1/2 tsp sea salt 1 Tbsp heavy whipping cream 1 tsp pure vanilla extract For the chocolate coating: 2 cups high-quality semi-sweet chocolate or dark chocolate or milk chocolate 2 Tbsp unsalted butter

METHOD 1. Drain the cherries. Save the juice to sweeten yogurt or mix into a cocktail. Blot cherries on clean cotton cloth. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, add the confectioners' sugar, softened butter, salt, vanilla extract, and cream. Beat until a smooth dough forms. Remove the fondant and shape into a flattened disk. Spread your clean work surface with a sheet of parchment paper. 3. Place the fondant on the paper; cover with another sheet of parchment. Roll the fondant out as thinly as possible. Remove and discard the top sheet of parchment. Using a 1-1/2 inch round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut the fondant into circles. One by one, wrap each cherry in fondant smoothing to shape each

| SATURDAY FEBRUARY 6 | SUNDAY FEBRUARY 7 2021

cherry into a nice cherry ball. Place stem up on a parchment lined plate or pan. Place pan of fondant-wrapped cherries in refrigerator for at least 45 minutes.

4. Melt chocolate with butter in microwave in 30-second increments, stopping between each to stir. Melt just until chocolate is smooth and stir-able, but not bubbling. Set aside.

5. Remove chilled fondant cherries from refrigerator. Carefully dip, coat and swirl them in the melted chocolate. Place dipped chocolates back on parchment lined plate. Once all chocolates are made, return cherries to the refrigerator to harden. Once hardened for about an hour, place finished chocolates in an airtight container and refrigerate for several days. THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

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THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 6 | SUNDAY FEBRUARY 7 2021 |

S U N D AY B R E A K FA S T

INDEFATIGABLE DETERMINATION HERITAGE TRAIL MERCANTILE OWNER LISA CHRISOPOULOS ABSORBS A SERIES OF CHALLENGES—IN BUSINESS AND IN LIFE—AND EMERGES WITH RESOLVE. BY BILL MCLEAN ILLUSTRATION BY BARRY BLITT

Perseverance personified? Look no further than Lisa Chrisopoulos. In mid-2019, her reputable family business in Wilmette, Heritage Trail Mall (now Heritage Trail Mercantile in Northfield) got hit with a harsh rent increase—double the previous cost to house the store’s antiques, home décor, collectibles, jewelry, artwork, gifts, and memorabilia—that necessitated a search for a new home. Months later, in January 2020, her husband, Ted, died suddenly after shoveling snow at their home in Ingleside. Meanwhile, securing approval to relocate the popular store in Northfield became even more challenging. And then came COVID-19. The pandemic forced Chrisopoulos to scrub her plans to stage the second grand opening in Heritage Trail’s history on June 1. A Heritage Trail Mercantile (HTM) soft opening in Northfield occurred on October 15. “People have told me I’m good at giving advice,” says Chrisopoulos, whose parents, Joan and the late Gerald Carlson, owned the original HTM for more than 25 years as their retirement business before Chrisopoulos took the helm last year. “Some of those people told me, ‘It’s time to give advice to yourself.’ And that’s what I did. I told myself, ‘Don’t get stuck. Don’t believe your life is over as a 53-year-old widow. Believe it’ll all work out.’ “I don’t like to draw attention to myself. But a lot of people are inspired by my story, about how I overcame some struggles with incredible support from my family and friends. We’re all looking for good news after a tough 2020, right?” Indeed. Chrisopoulos’s best friend from Honduras flew to Illinois last January to be there for a stunned Chrisopoulos, to hug Chrisopoulos, to listen to Chrisopoulos. Chrisopoulos’s real estate agent, Kiki Clark, stayed on top of paperwork deadlines and became fast friends with her resilient client. HTM’s loyal and appreciative vendors gathered to help Chrisopoulos and her staff remove the items from the old store in Wilmette last winter. “They all jumped in for me,” Chrisopoulos says. “I was out of it after Ted’s death (at age 63). Amazing. Our vendors, all 42 of them, I consider them family. And my husband, after the rent shot up in 2019 and

Lisa Chrisopoulos

my mom was dumbfounded and thought we’d have to close the store for good, told me, ‘You’re really good at this; you have to open another store.’ “I have the most amazing family and friends.” Chrisopoulos and her sister, Kirsten, grew up as daughters of auction-loving parents. Lisa’s vivid memories from stops at estate auctions include paying a quarter to purchase a junk box containing rabbit’s feet and buttons, among other items, and playing with the objects while sitting next to her sister on a floor. “We went to so many auctions,” recalls Chrisopoulos, a 1984 Evanston Township High School graduate. “It got to the point where I believed people bought furniture only at estate auctions.” Chrisopoulos earned more quarters—and coffee-stained dollars— years later, serving as a waitress at a nursing home in Evanston. She had written her birthday on the application form but not all of it, choosing to omit the year of her birth. Chrisopoulos got hired as a … 14-year-old. But the responsibilities never overwhelmed the youngster. The teen’s superiors loved her work ethic and promoted her to waitress supervisor two years later. Chrisopoulos attended the University of Illinois and Kendall College, an Evanston-based school specializing in culinary arts and hospitality management that relocated to Chicago in 2005. She met her future husband, Ted, when she was a supervisor at a Marshall Field’s restaurant in the basement at Old Orchard Mall and he was a night-time building engineer. They’d occasionally cross paths at work. “If you dangled anything that needed to be fixed in front of Ted, he’d fix it,” Chrisopoulos says. “He’d figure it out and fix it for you. He was the fixer. Very thorough. Want to guess why I haven’t had a new washer at home in years? Because Ted kept fixing the old one.” He’d be proud of his wife’s indefatigable determination since Northfield’s Village Board accepted the Planning Commission’s recommendation and adopted the necessary ordinances for HTM to set up shop in Northfield. Shortly thereafter, Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered state residents to stay at home (from March 21 to June 7) except for essential workers and trips for supplies. HTM’s new, loft-like space is a 9,600 square-foot warehouse that was previously used to detail and store Ferraris. Sold HTM wares now vroom out of the place. “While everybody else was buying all that toilet paper and all those hand sanitizers, I was buying paint for the new store, knowing contractors wouldn’t be able to enter the location for a while,” says Chrisopoulos, whose

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They all jumped in for me. Amazing. Our vendors, all 42 of them, I consider them family. And my husband, after the rent shot up and my mom was dumbfounded and thought we’d have to close the store for good, told me, ‘You’re really good at this; you have to open another store.’

commute from unincorporated Ingleside takes about an hour. “Gallons and gallons of paint. About 100. I had to build it out; the building was a white shell. I have a friend, who owns a moving company. He and his two brothers helped me. We painted all summer. It was hard work; we’d start in the morning and work until it was almost dark. “It helped me, not staying at home all those hours,” she adds. “It was good for my mental health, getting the new store ready, and it helped me deal with my grief.” Heritage Trail Mercantile’s mission is to inspire its customers to curate their personal spaces with unique, original art, furniture, and home décor. HTM is frequented by local interior designers looking to snare that perfect piece for their clients. HTM—more designfocused in Northfield compared to its overall inventory in the Wilmette location—features five-foot-wide aisles, high ceilings, and ideal ventilation. “People feel safe in the store, with the good lighting having something to do with that,” Chrisopoulos says. “Many people, I’ve learned, visit us just to feel good. In Wilmette, when our store was near Evanston Hospital, regular customers who underwent chemo treatment got through it by thinking, ‘Fifteen more minutes and then I’ll be able to stop by Heritage Trail.’ “One visitor told me, as he left our new location, ‘I didn’t buy anything, but I feel better now.’ I was OK when I heard that because it made me feel better.” Heritage Trail Mercantile is located at 190-B Northfield Road in Northfield. For more information, call 847-256-6208 or visit heritagetrailmall.com. THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

New Year New Beginning I’ve joined Compass! I’m thrilled to be growing my real estate business with the Paige Dooley Team.

Eileen Collins eileen.collins@compass.com 847.507.3462

PAI G E D O O L E Y T E AM I S A T E AM O F REAL ESTATE AG ENTS AFFIL IATED WITH CO M PASS, A L IC ENSED REAL ESTATE B RO K ER AND AB ID ES BY FED ER AL , STATE A ND LOCA L EQUA L HOUSI NG OPPORTUNI T Y L AWS.

THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 6 | SUNDAY FEBRUARY 7 2021 |

LAKEFRONT PROPERTY

233

SHERIDAN ROAD KENILWORTH 7 bed, 7.2 bath // $9,975,000

There’s still time to customize your dream home... 819 HUMBOLDT AVENUE, WINNETKA

6 bedrooms, 5.1 baths • $2,375,000

970 SHERIDAN ROAD, GLENCOE

6 bedrooms, 7.1 baths • $4,175,000

1133 MICHIGAN AVENUE, WILMETTE

6 bedrooms, 6.2 baths • $4,175,000

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REQUEST A VIRTUAL TOUR

Milena Birov 847.962.1200 MILENA@ATPROPERTIES.COM

H E R I TAG E LU X U R Y. C O M

| SATURDAY FEBRUARY 6 | SUNDAY FEBRUARY 7 2021

THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND