The parking lot at Gateway Square still has the same pavement. The courtyard hasn't been rebuilt and the signs haven't been replaced. But behind those storefronts at 777 N. York Road, the tenant list has changed more in the past twelve months than it had in years.
The new owner has a plan for the whole property, but that plan hasn't started yet. A children's bookstore owner, a party-decor company, a longtime salon and a wellness studio have each made their move first. The shopping center near York Road and Ogden Avenue has been there since 1985. Its revival is happening in reverse order, with the businesses moving in ahead of the facelift.
The shops moved first
Five Kings Properties bought Gateway Square in 2025. In a September report in The Hinsdalean, property manager Ramis Memishi said, "The space was very tired. There was a lot of deferred maintenance that needed to be addressed right away." That same report also showed that new tenants had already arrived.
Here's who is there now and what each one brings to a corner that most of Hinsdale drives past on the way to somewhere else:
| Business | What it is | Recent milestone |
|---|---|---|
| The Book Nook | Children's bookstore with gifts | Opened Aug. 12, 2026 |
| Paris312 | Party decor, balloons, flowers and favors | Grand opening family day Sept. 19, 2026 |
| I Design Salon & Blow Dry Bar | Salon with head spa and lash and brow bar | Moved to a larger space within the center in February 2026 |
| Sage Wellness Sanctuary | Meditation, movement and recovery studio | Website lists "Opening October 2026" |
The Book Nook
Alison Kozlow has lived in Hinsdale since February 2020. She opened The Book Nook on Aug. 12 after her mom suggested a children's book shop, and she told The Hinsdalean that she created an LLC that same week. She chose every title herself. The shop carries classic chapter books and picture books alongside newer releases, plus stuffed animals and book bags. It's painted in blue and green, with whimsical art on the walls.
The Book Nook is set up to be a place you come back to. You can rent it for a child's birthday party or a book club meeting, and Kozlow has said she plans to add book subscriptions, book clubs, drop-in events, regular story times and author readings.
Paris312
Paris312 ran online for ten years before opening this store. Its first shop, in Lincoln Park, closed several years ago, and the company has run its production out of West Town since then. Co-founder Niku Ghalkhani told The Hinsdalean the idea started with a simple question: if you can have your food catered, why not your decor?
The Gateway Square space has two halves. The side facing the courtyard is the retail shop. The side facing the parking lot is the workshop, with large helium tanks and bins of ribbon, confetti and balloons. The Hinsdalean counted 20 shades of teal and blue alone. You can pick up flowers, gifts and party supplies in person, or have the team set up and take down decor for an event.
I Design Salon & Blow Dry Bar
I Design was at Gateway Square long before the ownership change. In February, owner Michele Zayed moved the salon into a different space in the center that is three times the size. The new space adds a Davines Signature Head Spa and a dedicated lash and brow bar. Zayed told The Hinsdalean her clients are "so happy" with the extra room.
When a longtime tenant takes a bigger space inside a property its own manager calls tired, the business is betting on where the center is heading.
Sage Wellness Sanctuary
Sage has the longest paper trail of the four. The Hinsdale Plan Commission unanimously recommended approval of its special-use permit on Dec. 10, 2025, according to the Plan Commission minutes. The Village Board adopted it on Jan. 20, 2026, according to the Board minutes. In January, Patch reported that owner Bianca Castelbuono told trustees she hoped to open within about three months.
The Sage Wellness Sanctuary website now says "Opening October 2026." It describes a meditation and movement studio, private "Breathing Space" meditation suites, a contrast therapy suite with steam and an infrared sauna, and a retail boutique and elixir bar serving green juices and tea. Memberships start at four sessions a month. Check the website for a confirmed opening day before you go.
What the owner plans to change
Kozlow told The Hinsdalean that the businesses that opened at Gateway Square in the past year are all female-owned, and that they are "partnering to make sure we bring Gateway back to its glory days." The tenants are already working on the center's comeback together. The owner's construction plan comes next.
"No surface is being left untouched," Memishi told The Hinsdalean. The plan he described includes:
- Rebuilding the courtyard
- Modernizing the signage and color scheme
- Repaving the parking lot
- Adding new lighting
He said the goal is a center that feels more inviting to people driving by and people walking along the street. As of September, Five Kings was working with the village on the approvals needed before work can begin, with the full project targeted for completion in 2027. Shopping-center improvements such as landscaping and updated signage came up during the Plan Commission's December 2025 discussion of Sage. That night's formal agenda item was Sage's permit, not a site plan for the whole center.
The order matters for anyone who shops there. Paris312's retail side faces the courtyard, the part of the property set to be rebuilt, so that storefront will look out on a very different space once the work is done.
Two empty restaurant spaces
The biggest open question at York and Ogden is food. The former Hua Ting space is still vacant. So is the two-story building that was Fox's Pizza until 2018. Memishi has called filling them a priority.
"We think there is such incredible potential to include restaurants that can thrive throughout the day but also into the evening," he told The Hinsdalean.
That fits what's already open. A bookstore with story times, a party shop where you pick up balloons and a wellness studio with an elixir bar all bring in daytime traffic. Restaurants that also stay busy at night would give the courtyard a reason to stay lit after the salon closes. No tenant had been announced for either space as of the September report. These two spaces are the ones to watch as 2027 gets closer.
Halloween week nearby
The Book Nook and Paris312 already held their joint grand opening family day on Sept. 19, with face painting and giveaways. If you're out with kids in the week after this post goes up, a few Hinsdale events are a short drive away. All of them come from The Hinsdalean's Fallapalooza roundup:
- A Haunting at TCH, Friday, Oct. 23, 5 to 9 p.m. at The Community House, 415 W. Eighth St. The night includes a haunted house recommended for ages 8 and older, plus games and crafts. Admission is $15.
- Hinsdale Family Fall Fest, Saturday, Oct. 24, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Hinsdale Middle School, 100 S. Garfield Ave. There will be inflatables and food trucks, and the first 500 people get a pumpkin. Costume contest check-in is at the Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce table from 11:30 to 1, and participating downtown businesses will hand out candy.
- Boo Bash and The Haunted Page, Wednesday, Oct. 28 at Hinsdale Public Library, 20 E. Maple St. Boo Bash runs from 4 to 5 p.m. with Halloween games and crafts. At 7 p.m., William Pack presents an evening of magic and stories inspired by Poe, Bradbury, M.R. James and Shirley Jackson.
At The Courtney Stach Group, we're following Gateway Square's makeover closely, from the courtyard plans to the two restaurant spaces still waiting for tenants. If you'd like to talk about how changes like this affect your corner of Hinsdale, we're always glad to hear from you.
