Exclusive glass restoration service coming June 7 to The Little Traveler, Geneva

Geneva, IL – June 4, 2017: Mary Lou’s Crystal/China Repair will be onsite at The Little Traveler in Geneva on Wednesday, June 7, doing repairs on valued keepsakes while shoppers browse the other rooms of Geneva’s most iconic store. Chipped or cracked china, broken glasses, as well as porcelain, pottery, and crystal pieces can be fixed on-the-spot while shoppers wait.

According to Joliet-based business owner and resident Mary Lou Gates, each repair has a story behind it. In fact, she adds, not a day goes by when someone doesn’t exclaim, “I can’t believe you can do that!” She’s referencing the way she and her husband of 42 years, Bob Gates, have been mending broken-hearted visitors who keep them busy with repairs.

Fox Valley residents and visitors to the area can have their items fixed at The Little Traveler while they wait on June 7, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The store also serves as a drop-off site for Gates’ service. Mary Lou makes a trip each week to Geneva to pick up items and return them repaired the next week.

According to Mary Lou, she got her start in this repair trade in the early 1970s when her parents had an antique store in Joliet, complete with a rock polishing machine in the back. With practice, Mary Lou became adept at repairs, and quickly learned to use the lapidary machine for all types of breakage and damaged materials. Word traveled fast as she acquired many more customers.

Today, Bob Gates is the operator of the same machine from the antique store, having only to replace its parts here and there throughout the years.

The Gates’ come every three months to The Little Traveler for their onsite-repairs event. This service is exclusive to the Fox Valley. The Gates’ can mend items, make cuts, and even repurpose pieces by adding elements to create new designs. For example, one of their most popular services involves making tinkling bells from stemware by cutting off the bases and installing clappers and crowns. The bells are ideal for weddings and anniversaries, says Gates.

Broken stemware, snapped off at the base, can be repaired to the original state. Cut-glass bowls and other pieces, which frequently crack due to poor conduction of hot and cold temperatures, also are quite easily fixed without any noticeable marks. That’s because cut glass and Depression glass both feature numerous lines and cross points that make the repairs difficult to spot.

A piece of fine crystal, on the other hand, may show a slight line after a repair. Gates says most customers don’t mind since they are more interested in saving a treasured keepsake or a sentimental collectible.

Another frequently performed service is chandelier arm repair. And for those who like the look of a particular wine bottle and don’t want to simply recycle it, Bob Gates can cut it and make it into a beverage glass.

Most of these services average $10 to $15 per repair. Anything can be done for a maximum price of $50. Mary Lou says in the time it takes to tell the story of how a piece was broken, it can be repaired. She enjoys hearing every story, and still remembers most of them to this day.

According to Pat Bokina, a buyer for The Little Traveler and coordinator of the crystal-repair event, “Our longtime customers know what Mary Lou and Bob are capable of, and they send their friends in. The most fun for me is seeing the happiness that new folks show when they see the magic that Mary Lou’s Crystal can do on some of their most cherished possessions."

About The Little Traveler: Today, downtown Geneva, Ill., is known as one of the most unique shopping districts in the Midwest, maintaining a tradition of hospitality, charm, and character. The Little Traveler, at 404 South Third Street, has remained the cornerstone of this tradition. The shop has grown from the original Italianate Victorian residence (which now serves as the center section of the shop) to 36 rooms of treasures.

For more information, call (630) 232-4200.