A downtown Rockford retailer is rebranding and moving to a soon-to-be vacated storefront

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — A downtown retailer of home decor, locally made ceramics and other furnishings is preparing to rebrand and move across the street to fill a soon-to-be vacated storefront.

Elora Home Interiors, which has operated from 214 E. State St. since February 2023, will move into the KJ Hardwood Lumber space at 219 E. State St. at the end of August. That building was previously home to Runner’s Image for more than 40 years before it closed at the end of 2024.

When Elora reopens in its new space, it will be called Loom Home + Gifts, the same name it carries on its location in downtown Beloit.

“I just saw a lot of potential. I want to go after the potential of this,” owner Amie McDonald said of the move. “We’re super excited to do something different and do it in a new space.”

McDonald had planned to rebrand the company in the fall, and the move provided good timing to make the switch. The name Loom is fitting, she said, because a loom weaves together threads the same way her company weaves together different makers and artisans.

“The imagery of it is it’s all these different fabrics and threads that create this beautiful tapestry,” McDonald said. “That felt very meaningful. All the different things that we do, all the collaborations we do, the makers we connect with, all of these beautiful pieces and talents and gifts from all these people that make our business what it is.”

KJ Hardwood Lumber is a family-run custom woodworking, milling and furniture business that opened in downtown in March. They announced earlier this month their plans to close.

“We appreciate all the support we have received from family, friends, the city of Rockford, and everyone who has stopped in, given well wishes, or purchased something,” the business wrote on Facebook. “We have felt so welcomed and supported.”

KJ Hardwood Lumber will continue to operate out of its farmstead shop in Hampshire.

McDonald, who started out of her home in early 2021, recently expanded with a second retail business in Beloit, Wisconsin. Loom Home + Gifts opened on May 23 at 444 E. Grand Ave. in downtown Beloit.

“I had a lot of people express their concerns that we’re going to leave Rockford and just go to Beloit,” McDonald said. “We are not going anywhere. So much so that we’re moving our entire store into another storefront that’s just a skip across the street.”

Both shops offer handcrafted pottery and ceramics, home accents, candles, jewelry, handbags and other merchandise made by local artisans. McDonald also prides herself on the store’s collaborations with local makers. For example, it works closely with Craft + Foster on signature candles and with Dawn Wulf on ceramics and pottery that are also unique to the store.

The new storefront also allows McDonald to partner with Karla Reed, who will make use of space at the back of the storefront for her curated collection of vintage goods. That space will be open for shopping during regular hours and then cleared out for special events.

“It’s going to be a really magical experience because it’s unique, charming and cute,” McDonald said. “We’re going to host all of our events in store, which I think will be really fun.”

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas