Joliet's Socialites Take Over Downtown On Ladies Night

JOLIET, IL — Downtown Joliet business owners Amber Duffy and Elina Triantou put their heads together and came up with a fun idea to bring more foot traffic to downtown Joliet's bars and restaurants on the week nights. On Oct. 14, the two women organized their first once-a-month Downtown Joliet Ladies Night. They drew about 15 women.

On Wednesday night, the second-ever Downtown Joliet Ladies Night attracted more than 100 Joliet area women. The event started at 5 p.m. at Juliet's Tavern. As many women stayed at Juliet's, others walked along Chicago Street for martinis and food at Mousa Tapas Bar.

The night's final destination was CUT 158 Chophouse. All three fine-dining restaurants are within two blocks, all along North Chicago Street.

"Women want a reason to dress up and get out of the house, and so we gave them that," explained Duffy. "This is to bring exposure to downtown Joliet so that people understand the old stigma has died officially, Rest In Peace. We have fine-dining down here, museums down here, the arts and thriving small businesses."

Duffy and her family own Jitters Coffeehouse. She is also a real estate broker with Koenig Realty, which has an office in downtown Joliet along Chicago Street.

As for Triantou, she and her husband own Juliet's Tavern, CUT 158 and Mousa, as well as Hamburgerseria and Rosemary's Cafe on Essington Road.

"This will be a monthly event," Duffy stressed. "Our next one will be December 14."

Duffy said she could not believe how popular Wednesday's second ever Downtown Joliet Ladies Night was, considering it snowed most of the day. Besides Joliet, women traveled from Shorewood, Plainfield, Channahon, Minooka and Wilmington, she noted.

Joliet Patch interviewed Wilmington resident Kayleigh Condon, who is pictured in the photo below. Wednesday marked her first time attending the ladies night and she was glad she did.

Condon is a Joliet area real estate agent who works for Century 21 Pride Realty.

"This is fabulous. It gives everyone a reason for women and businesses to get together and we want to revive downtown Joliet," she said. Condon said she graduated from Providence Catholic High School and had her graduation in downtown Joliet at the Rialto Square Theatre.

Even though she now lives in Wilmington, "my heart lives in Joliet," Condon remarked.

LaQuinta Johnson also attended Wednesday night's Ladies Night.

Johnson is arguably the most influential person on Brian Bessler's Facebook group, Joliet Area Bar and Restaurant Guide; Johnson patronizes and comments on her visits to several different Joliet restaurants multiple times per week. Johnson also attended October's first-ever Downtown Joliet Ladies Night.

On Wednesday night at Juliet's Tavern, Johnson told Joliet Patch that the second event was even more of a success than the first one.

"It's more of a mixed group this time, culture-wise, and I like that," Johnson remarked. "I think it's a great way to bring the ladies together. We talk online, but it's good to see each other face to face."

Johnson grew up in Joliet, so she has seen the downtown during its more dreary days. "I think it was a ghost town before, and now I feel like it's livening up a bit."

Johnson expects to remain a regular monthly attendee, and she plans to attend the next event, set for Dec. 14.

"I think it's gonna get better every month," Johnson said.

Duffy said the participating downtown Joliet restaurants will donate a portion of Wednesday night's profits from ladies night to the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum, which will be opening on Cass Street across from The Forge, another busy downtown Joliet nighttime attraction.

Every month, the Downtown Joliet Ladies Night group will select a different Joliet nonprofit for donations. The December event will help benefit the Joliet Boys and Girls Club, Duffy said.

As for the state of downtown Joliet, Duffy said the "old stigmas" are that it's overrun with crime, that it's desolate and there's nothing to do.

"It's safe to come in now," Duffy stressed.

She has lived in downtown Joliet for the past year.

"The (Joliet) chief of police (Bill Evans) also lives down here," Duffy said. "This is the heart of the city. There's fine-dining, museums, the Rialto, The Forge."

In recent months, Joliet's first-year Police Chief Bill Evans has also assigned two on-duty police officers to foot patrols in downtown Joliet, mostly along the North Chicago Street corridor. The foot patrols are Wednesday nights, Thursday nights, Friday nights and Saturday nights.

On Wednesday night, Joliet Police Officers Brian Montello and Adam Stapleton were mingling with people visiting the downtown. The two officers were based in the parking lot directly across from the Rialto Square Theatre and CUT 158 Chophouse.

Duffy told Joliet Patch that having the new nighttime foot patrols in downtown Joliet has been outstanding; the officers give everyone a great sense of security, particularly visitors from surrounding communities who are coming to downtown Joliet for their first time.

In any event, the theme of the monthly ladies night is "Rediscovering Joliet" and all the events are centered around downtown's North Chicago Street, which is where the police officers patrol.

As for future weekday social events, "We'll start including men, and we'll be starting different themes, but for now, ladies is our first of the rediscover downtown Joliet and this is a branch of it," Duffy explained.