Liz Schaer of Rooted
Liz Schaer is the owner of Rooted, which marks one year in business later this month at 1408 N. Main St. in Rockford. She’s pictured at the North End shop on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)
By Mary Sisk
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — When Elizabeth Schaer opened her shop in the North End neighborhood, she wanted it to feel like a big-city store.

“The goal was to have a space that people would walk into and think they’re shopping in Chicago or Milwaukee,” Schaer, 29, said. “The idea was just to have a creative space that people could come and get inspired and find thoughtful items for themselves or to gift to others.”

Rooted is an eclectic shop incorporating artwork, furniture, vintage items, plant potters, personal grooming products and more boutique goods in a space at 1408 N. Main St. shared with the bakery Wonderland Sweets. This month marks one year in business for the shop in the owner’s hometown.

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“I try to have people walk in, and they’re really surprised something like this is in Rockford,” Schaer said. “I kind of try to have a little bit of everything for everybody at all different price points.”

Schaer, who was raised on the city’s northwest side, returned here shortly after she graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in graphic design.

The Boylan Catholic High School graduate always had an urge to own her own business, but she was spurred into action after she lost her job at an advertising agency in spring 2019. Several months earlier her father, Dennis, died in August 2018 after a yearlong battle with glioblastoma muliforme. He was 73.

“There were just a series of unfortunate events that was kind of a turning point for me where I realized that I just kind of needed to go for it,” Schaer said. “I started really small, selling succulents and other plants out of vintage pottery and just doing pop-ups.”

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Starting in 2019, Schaer would thrift vintage pieces and post them on Instragram, or feature them in the downtown shop GEM: Gather, Engage, Make, which is owned by Sarah Reed McNamara.

Reed McNamara is happy to see another female small business owner branch out and open her own storefront.

“Liz Schaer was a guest artisan at GEM pop-ups and maker events, where her passion for plants and vintage blossomed into the desire to run a business of her own,” Reed McNamara said. “It’s been wonderful to see Liz take off on her own and thrive as a part of the small business community in Rockford, and to see her continue extending that hand to other area makers and artists makes it come full circle.”

As her business grew, she opened her first location at 1416 N. Main St., where she only sold vintage items, but her store was shut down when the COVID-19 pandemic took hold.

However, Schaer was determined to open another shop.

She spotted the property at 1408 N. Main St. on the Region 1 Planning Council Land Bank program, which puts tax-delinquent properties up for a public bid in order to get them back in the hands of responsible owners.

Schaer was drawn to the building.

“It gave me enough of a taste of having my own store that I knew that it was really what I wanted to do,” Schaer said. “I went to St. Peter’s for grade school, I remember that location being the North End Coffee Bar.”

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She purchased the building in June 2020 and secured a temporary certificate of occupancy for Wonderland Sweets to also inhabit the store.

After 18 months of renovation, Rooted opened on Dec. 17, 2021.

“The dream was always to have a combination of old and new items,” Schaer said. “Since Wonderland Sweets bakery is in there, I try to have kind of a focus on food and beverage items as well.”

Schaer looks for quality, widely-liked items that her customers will appreciate when selecting items for the store.

“I really just try to think of high-quality items,” Schaer said. “Finding items that are long-lasting and useful that people will enjoy is a big thing for me.”

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Schaer is also grateful for Wonderland Sweet’s presence in the store, merging both businesses’ clientele.

“They do the highest quality baked goods, pastries. They also make handmade pastas, sandwiches, everything from scratch,” Schaer said. “It just seems to be a really complimentary business alongside Rooted.”

While Schaer considers expanding one day, she is content with running her North End store and feels thankful for the help from her employees.

“There’s always dreams about having other businesses, but for now this is more than enough for me,” Schaer said. “I’m really happy to have this store and have some really wonderful employees who made my dream come true.”


This article is by Mary Sisk. Email her at msisk@rockrivercurrent.com or follow her on Instagram at @maryrrcurrent

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