Psychics, Purses and Popcorn: New Hinsdale Shop Emphasizes Variety

If you’ve walked down Hinsdale Avenue this April, you might have walked right past the new QT Apparel Gifts & Accessories. It doesn't have a big sign yet and it's just a bit off the beaten path, sitting a bit west of downtown Hinsdale.

But owner Susie Azzarello thinks QT, located at 16 W. Hinsdale Ave., offers something new to Hinsdaleans.

“We have a little bit of everything in there,” Azzarello said. “It’s kind of a one-stop shop.”

Azzarello was in attendance at Tuesday morning’s Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce new-member orientation meeting. QT’s grand opening took place April 1. Azzarello, who lives in Hodgkins, formerly had a kiosk at Yorktown Center, but said she was sick of mall hours, wanted her own storefront, and was attracted to Hinsdale for its unique shops.

And she wasn’t exaggerating when she said QT has a little bit of everything.

“We carry the Miche bag, which is the interchangeable purse,” Azzarello said. “I carry interchangeable flip-flops, Lolita glassware, a whole line of wine accessories, hand-made tutus for little girls, cards, candles, jewelry, accessories.”

Azzarello said the store’s first months has been a good one. With the store's location, she said, business will go up as temperatures go up.

“It’s a store you have to walk to,” Azzarello said.

Currently, QT seems a bit on its own island on Hinsdale Avenue, but according to Azzarello, there are two available storefronts near the store that are looking for tenants to rent.

QT holds a ladies' night on the occasional Thursday night, when they’ll hold a wine-tasting or host a home-interior company. Azzarello said they're even planning on bringing a psychic to the next ladies' night.

QT is also the suburban site for Mother Butter’s Popcorn, which has a store near U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago.

Available flavors are plain, cheddar, caramel, and Chicago Mix. 

Azzarello has been selling Miche Bags for four years. According to Miche’s website, the bags—“one of the greatest gifts to womankind since waterproof mascara,” the site says—have changeable covers so the same bag can have several different looks.

The bag company gives small-business people like Azzarello the opportunity to sell the bags as authorized distributors. Azzarello began selling Miche from a home-based business.

“We just kind of outgrew my house,” she said.