Cami Garifo was looking for a job after graduating from the University of Missouri this past spring.

Then she learned about the Shops on Main business incubator in downtown Huntley and decided to pursue her lifelong dream of opening a boutique.

Garifo, who grew up in Huntley, she is “so blessed” to be starting her dream business in her hometown and to get the help launching it through the brand-new retail incubator.

[ See more photos of Huntley's new retail incubator Shops on Main ]

Garifo’s CP Boutique is one of 10 businesses chosen to be the first group to operate in the incubator, which will open for business Saturday, Nov. 1.

Garifo said she’s looking forward to opening day and to meeting people from her online store.

“I have really high hopes,” she said.

Garifo aims to offer comfortable clothing that can also be wardrobe staples. She said she’s hoping to have themed holiday pieces and things people can wear to holiday parties, but also to rotate the inventory every week or two to make sure shoppers find something new when they come in.

But most of all, “I want people to enjoy shopping here,” Garifo said.

Huntley has long aimed to get the shops open in time for the 2025 holiday season. The village opted to convert the Hackett House near the Route 47 and Main Street intersection into four incubator spaces, along with six small, newly built freestanding stores on the grounds.

“Shops on Main represents the journey of local entrepreneurs who are turning their dreams of owning a store and expanding their businesses into reality,” Village President Tim Hoeft said in a village news release.

“It is exciting to see years of planning, teamwork, and community support come together in such a meaningful way. We are looking forward to seeing these small businesses grow and bring new energy and shopping options to Huntley,” Hoeft said.

Huntley Development Manager Melissa Stocker said the business owners have put their hearts and souls into it. She praised the first group of business owners and said there will be “little extras” the first couple of weekends.

“We’re ready for opening day,” Stocker said.

This new incubator shops are:

• The Chef Shoppe, run by chef Joanne Thomas, selling butters, spice blends, kitchen gadgets, pastries, cookbooks and more.
• Bare Rags, selling women’s apparel.
• chARM candy collection, run by Laura Ruggiero, selling handmade jewelry and children’s accessories.
• DD Creations Studio, selling personalized products.
• Pots and Pies, selling baked sweet and savory goods. Pots and Pies has a location in downtown Crystal Lake but is testing out the Huntley market and what it takes to have a second location, Stocker said.
• Wild In Ink, selling journals, candles, women’s clothing and other creative items.
• Sew Mine, selling sewing and craft supplies.
• Huntley Art Hub Gallery, selling jewelry and art.
• CP Boutique, selling women’s clothing and accessories.
• The Find - Vintage + Thrift, selling curated secondhand clothing and original graphic tees, including menswear.

Thomas said she got into cooking at age 6 with an Easy-Bake oven. She recalled mimicking her mother’s cooking and putting spices into her mother’s cooking when her mother left the room.

A Marine Corp veteran, Thomas sells at the Woodstock and Huntley farmers markets and teaches culinary classes, at Huntley High School, at Del Webb and for private clients. She said she is excited about the Chef Shoppe and it is a labor of love for her. She added she’s excited to meet people who have supported her brand and business.

Ruggiero said she started her business, chARM, in 2021 as a creative outlet. It is her first storefront. She has lived in Huntley for over a decade.

Wild In Ink owner Denae Hintze said she self-published a poetry book in 2020. She went to markets and events to promote herself and the book. She also has an online presence and said she’s looking forward to meeting fellow shop owners, hoping to create a community feel and support each other.

Sew Mine owner Jillion Stadie said she has always loved “creating with my hands” and took crafty classes at McHenry County College when she became an empty nester.

She said she is “feeling a mix of excitement, anticipation, and just a little bit of nervous energy. It’s been such a journey building Sew Mine, and finally opening our doors in person feels surreal and incredibly rewarding.”

Art Hub Gallery owner Cindy Rafkind said 12 local artists are featured in the gallery, and she welcomes more. Rafkind paints pet portraits and makes jewelry. She hopes to have paint-and-sip events and jewelry making classes in the space. For opening day, she said she is nervous, excited and “maybe a little bit sleepless.”

The tiny shops were a village initiative, though the Huntley Area Chamber of Commerce will be helping with the grand opening, chamber Executive Director Nancy Binger said.

Binger said Shops on Main as a whole is a member of the chamber, and three of the businesses are also members, and she would love for the others to join.

Binger said she thinks Shops on Main will be “an amazing addition” to Huntley Square.

She added the shops offer a lot to the community, and the village put in a lot of time and effort into the shops. Binger said the stores will help other businesses nearby and increase foot traffic.

Huntley is the third McHenry County community to try out the business incubator concept.

McHenry’s Riverwalk Shoppes began its third season this year, while Woodstock tried the concept for one class in its newly remodeled Old Courthouse. Both businesses in Woodstock’s run graduated to larger spaces, with the Records Department moving elsewhere downtown and Seleta Scents moving to Arlington Heights after being unable to find a space in downtown Woodstock.

While the Huntley shops will open Nov. 1, village officials plan a grand opening celebration at 9:30 a.m. Nov. 7. The stores will be open until Dec. 21 for a winter market and then will reopen in May for a full season running until December 2026. The stores will be open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Fridays through Sundays and may also be open for village special events, though that has not been finalized.