North Shore Boards to pop in to Winnetka Metra station

A local Winnetka business that made waves last summer is ready to crash into town with a pop-up shop.

Winnetka trustees during their Tuesday, Feb. 18 meeting approved a temporary occupancy agreement that will allow North Shore Boards, a local startup, to operate a retail shop out of a portion of the Winnetka Metra station.

North Shore Boards sells skateboards, snowboards, surfboards, paddleboards, kayaks and Winnetka-themed accessories, among other products, according to its website. Winnetka resident Tim Ring debuted the business in 2024 as a weekly vendor at the Winnetka Farmers’ Market.

Ring hoped to expand the business and open a physical location in the village after a run of success and a strong showing of local interest during the market season, but he could not find a viable option to bring his vision for a brick-and-mortar store to life.

Ring then connected with Liz Dechant, Winnetka’s economic development coordinator, to discuss opening a pop-up shop in a portion of a village-leased space. The small space located inside the Metra station presented the near-perfect opportunity for the business’s first location.

Location, location, location

The Village of Winnetka currently has a lease agreement with Union Pacific Railroad to manage the Metra station at 754 Elm St., Dechant said during the meeting. Part of that agreement, she added, includes an 800-square foot space in the south end of the station.

Winnetka had previously leased the space to Zengeler Cleaners from 1965 until 2021, according to village documents. But Zengeler moved out in February 2021, citing declining sales amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Village officials then in 2022 reached an agreement with the Winnetka-Northfield-Glencoe Chamber of Commerce to use this space for storage for the Winnetka Farmers’ Market between May through October.

During the market’s offseason, however, the chamber does not utilize the space, leaving the door open for another use during the winter and early spring months.

“The village’s success in filling vacant commercial spaces means there’s far fewer options for pop-ups to open — so we put two and two together,” DeChant told trustees during the meeting. “We’re connecting a very interested and driven local entrepreneur who wants to open a retail pop-up with an under-utilized space.”

Ring told the council that he is planning to have the pop-up shop open six days a week. North Shore Boards will use approximately 200 square feet of the total 800 square feet available inside the space, DeChant said.

The approved agreement is for 86 days, per DeChant, who added that pop-up agreements do not last longer than 90 days in a calendar year in Winnetka. The agreement is slated to end the day the chamber’s proposed agreement to use the space begins.

Entrepreneur story

North Shore Boards started in June of 2024 with “a ring and a prayer,” Ring told trustees, adding that the business is “trying to take the next leap.”

“At the end of the day, I’m really looking for a sense of community,” he said. “We’re locally owned and operated. I want to engage with the community, the park district, and the village. It’s a great community, and I just want to try and bring a little bit of fun and a little bit of something different to the community.”

Village trustees lauded both Ring and DeChant for the “creative solution” to best use the space and allow Ring an opportunity to have a storefront.

“Certainly this is a newer concept,” Trustee Kim Handler said. “I’m glad you tested it at the farmers market. I think a pop-up is the perfect way to see how you can take it to the next level. I think it’s a great idea.”

Trustee Bridget Orsic added that the new business has “the right Winnetka vibe.”

Officials also feel it will be another added way to add activity to the area on the weekend.

“This is fantastic to help activate that area,” Trustee Tina Dalman said. “I think the more we can do to bring activity to the train station during the weekend is very great.”

North Shore Boards joins Hofherr Meat Co. as new tenants inside Winnetka’s Metra station.

As reported by The Record, Winnetka trustees in November of last year approved an agreement that will allow the celebrated local butcher to operate a deli and specialty shop out of a portion of the station in the space that used to house Café Fleurette.

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