When Sylvia Torres found herself to be the mother of older children, little did she realize this parenting milestone would eventually lead to a professional career change as well.

For 20 years, she did accounting and human resources for her family’s steel company. As her children got older, Torres began searching antique stores and markets to redecorate her home.

Unsure what to do with purchases she didn’t like once she brought them home, people encouraged her to sell the items online. Eventually Torres ended up with a following and began a side hustle with an online store. That’s when her husband suggested she open her own physical store.

Wanting something near her home in St. Charles, Torres started Little Red Barn Door in a 600-square-foot space on the second floor of the Berry House in downtown Geneva. She stayed there until 2022, when a bigger space down the street became available.

Little Red Barn Door is a boutique featuring home decor, florals, accessories and thoughtful gifts.

“I try to find items that are unique. I don’t want to carry products that other stores carry,” says Torres.

One of her goals is to have Little Red Barn Door get back to its roots, offering antiques and architectural salvage — decor that comes from old buildings. The shop also offers a variety of gift options such as slippers, jewelry, little notebooks depicting the names of Fox Valley towns, tea towels and ornaments. Torres recently expanded her offerings with the addition of light apparel including T-shirts, dresses, cardigans and socks.

“Home decor is fine, but I also want to help people find a gift for mom, sister or friend,” Torres says.

The fall collection at Little Red Barn Door includes seasonal-scented room sprays, Halloween-themed art and pumpkin dishes. For the special youngsters in your life, pick up a Halloween rice treat pop or giant Halloween marshmallow pop to tuck inside their trick-or-treat bucket.

The last few years, Little Red Barn Door sponsored a home in Geneva’s annual Holiday House Tour. As part of the festive fun, the team works with the homeowners on ways they can decorate the house, including incorporating any holiday decorations the homeowners own into the design.

Inspired by what they see in the holiday home, Torres says customers often head over to Little Red Barn Door looking for featured items to replicate the look at their own home.

In the future, Torres hopes to offer events and workshops at the shop like she used to do at her former warehouse space.