Head over to the Oak Park Arts District for Saturday with Santa, a fun-filled day featuring pictures with Santa, a candy cane walk, face painting, local art vendors, food and drink specials and more! Plus, the Collaboration for Early Childhood is hosting the Toddlin’ Around Town Scavenger Hunt. The fun takes place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21 along Harrison Street. Click here for more information.

• Shopping local during Small Business Saturday means money spent at a local business stays within the community. Visit our directory to explore our 12 vibrant business districts and more than 1,000 local businesses: www.pickoakpark.com/directory.
• Celebrate Small Business Saturday in one of Oak Park’s fabulous districts during the Hemingway District Oak Park’s Shop Small + Tree Lighting Celebration! From 4 to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 28 the businesses near Oak Park Avenue and Lake Street will be offering special promotions and tasty treats. The event also features character photos, letters to Santa and a tree lighting ceremony. Click here for more information.
• A roundup of Small Business Saturday deals and promotions for participating businesses can be found on the Downtown Oak Park’s website.   

Holiday shopping in Oak Park will be made even easier with free parking. Beginning with the Friday after Thanksgiving on Nov. 27 and continuing every Saturday from Nov. 28 through Dec. 19, free daytime parking will be available in the three Village-operated public garages and for two hours at pay-by-plate parking spaces downtown and near south Oak Park Avenue. Parking is always free on Sundays during the day throughout the year. Village officials hope this gesture helps both customers and the local businesses they support. For more information about parking in the Village, email parking@oak-park.us or visit www.oak-park.us/parking.

Make your holiday shopping even brighter by shopping local and riding electric! Need a ride to one of Oak Park’s 12 business districts? Use promo code PICKOAKPARK2026 on Lyft from Black Friday on Nov. 27 to Cyber Monday on Nov. 30 to enjoy a free electric ride on us within Oak Park to any of our 12 business districts. This promotion is only available while supplies last, so make sure to use your code within 24 hours of claiming it. This holiday season, be sure to shop local, support small business and enjoy a green ride.

The Shopper’s Rewards program is underway now in Downtown Oak Park. Save your receipts when you support a Downtown Oak Park business now through December 25. Pick up your Shopper’s Reward envelopes at participating DTOP businesses to keep track of collected receipts. Support local business and earn! To learn more, click here.

November 9-13 is National Veterans Small Business Week!  In recognition of this, the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO) is offering a series of free educational webinars and in-person events to support the State’s veteran-owned businesses. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required. More information is available on the DECO’s website.

Happy Native American Heritage Month!  Throughout the month of November, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity is offering resources to Native American-owned enterprises including webinars and direct business assistance. For more information, click here.

The Office of Economic Vitality recently negotiated a purchase and sale agreement with the Cook County Land Bank Authority to purchase the former Ino’s Tacos restaurant property at 7100 W. Roosevelt Rd., which has been vacant for more than five years. The Village Board approved the agreement this fall, and the Village is in the midst of a 90-day due diligence period. The Office of Economic Vitality has engaged an architect to prepare renderings for the property and create a vision for redevelopment.

The Oak Park Workforce Academy wrapped up its second session on Oct. 14, and participants rated the experience nearly five stars. The Customer Communication Masterclass for Frontline Employees is offered by the Village's Office of Economic Vitality in partnership with Triton College's School of Continuing Education. It is built for the people who serve Oak Park's customers every day — receptionists, cashiers, servers, hosts, baristas and other public-facing staff — at no cost to the participants or their employers. Participants gave perfect scores to the instructor's knowledge of the material and to how thoroughly their questions were answered. “Really enjoyed chatting and bouncing ideas off each other,” one participant wrote. “This was a great class.” Another simply put: “Loved it — keep it going.” Asked what they would like to see offered next, the group pointed toward future training classes in conflict resolution, business development and practical guidance on contracting opportunities for small businesses. Businesses that are interested in enrolling staff can contact the Office of Economic Vitality at 708.358.5695 or economicvitality@oak-park.us. More information is available at www.oak-park.us/workforce.

• Kriser's Natural Pet Store - Last month, Kriser's Natural Pet Store opened it's doors at 427 N. Harlem Ave. in Downtown Oak Park. The new pet store will provide Oak Park pet owners with a variety of products and services including grooming.
• Oak Park Prime Steak - This new restaurant anticipates opening later this year at 1122 Lake St., filling a space that has been vacant since 2019. Oak Park Prime Steak is the second steakhouse concept from the owners of Hinsdale Prime Steak. In addition to serving the finest cuts of USDA prime steak, the restaurant also plans to offer daily brunch, happy hour every Monday through Friday and an extensive seafood menu.
• Escapology to open in early 2027 - The Office of Economic Vitality is delighted to announce that Escapology is opening in early 2027 at 1120 Lake St. adjacent to the planned Oak Park Prime Steakouse. This new escape room concept provides escape games where players are gathered in themed rooms and must find hidden clues, crack codes and solve puzzles before time runs out.