My family and I recently hosted a Celebration of Life for my mom, Jill. We had a wonderful afternoon on La Quinta’s new all seasons patio. Many people filled the room. Lots of friends were there along with several of my mom’s coworkers from the flooring industry in which my mom had worked since the late 1980s.
While we were mingling, a woman walked in wearing a backpack who I recognized from her days working at Prisco’s Family Market. It was Mary with her short cropped brown hair and glasses. She rode her bike to join us, and said that my mom was a customer at Prisco’s. Mary wrote in the guest book that she had lots of memories of my mom from 2002 to 2013.
My mom also frequented Aldi and Costco, but no one showed up from those stores. No shocker there, but it’s such a great reminder that small businesses are vital to our community. They become part of our family. With Prisco’s currently being shuttered due to severe storm damage, might we consider how important these staples are to our community.
We’ve been lucky to witness the opening of many small businesses that have been a boon to Aurora in the last decade. We love frequenting Pacifica Square with many small businesses located in Park to Shop and in the strip mall. We just ate some of the best Indian food we’ve had at Marsala Madness located there since February. It was such a joy to see Wyckwood House celebrate seven years this summer in downtown Aurora. Yellow Bird Books is about to celebrate two years as Aurora’s only independent bookstore.
They were both there, too. Shannon, the owner of Wyckwood House, and Karen, who owns Yellow Bird Books. Amaury Rosado, who owned Chef Amaury at 33 West, was the first to arrive with his wife, Trisha. The impact of small businesses could be priceless, but their value can certainly be weighed in community pride and good will, a healthy housing market, and jobs.
Supporting small businesses was a big part of my mom’s life. She loved Taqueria Tio so much that she started a Facebook page for them years ago. The last places we had lunch were Giardino’s and La Quinta. I knew that La Quinta would be the perfect place to host my mom’s celebration since we loved their new enclosed patio so much. We felt like we were on vacation when we ate lunch there.
I had framed photos of my mom around the room along with dishes of Junior Mints, her favorite candy. The chocolate candy was quickly melting due to a particularly hot day, and I kept refilling them with chilled ones. Those would melt, too.
It was such a nice time. A couple of my cousins made the long drive to show up, and I was appreciative of the many dear friends who came to celebrate with us. It’s what my mom and I talked about when she was first diagnosed with aggressive uterine cancer. A celebration to honor her. She liked the idea of me planning a party over the summer, and then she’d either be there or she wouldn’t.
She died May 8, so she wasn’t able to make it to the celebration. I’m writing this on her birthday, August 19. We were hopeful that she’d turn 73, but such is life. She told me that every day after 70 was a gift. It’s hard to argue with such a positive outlook.
Add these art events to your 2025 calendar:
•August 30 Alley Art Festival, Aurora.
alleyartaurora.com
•September 5 First Fridays, Aurora
•September 12 Second Fridays, Batavia
Marissa Amoni is the owner of Marissa Bright, a public relations and event management company specializing in shining the light on nonprofits and small businesses. She runs Alley Art Festival, celebrating 15 years this year. Follow her on Instagram @marissashinesbright. Visit a full calendar of art events on alleyartaurora.com/artscene.