Kilwins franchise owner Jacqueline “Jackie” Jackson stood in her Andersonville store near a glass case filled with decadent truffles, caramel apples and nutty caramel turtles like the ones her late mother loved.
After some rocky starts to running the Kilwins Chocolate Shop chain, Ms Jackson's perseverance was recognized at an awards ceremony attended by family, friends and associates on Thursday.
She was named Illinois Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Great Lakes Region. SBA Regional Administrator Jeri Aglipay, who presented her with the award, said Jackson is an example of “resiliency, innovation and entrepreneurship.”
From left to right: U.S. Small Business Administration Regional Administrator Geri Aglipay, Kilwins Owner Jackie Jackson, and Illinois Deputy District Director Mark Ferguson meet SBA's Winner of the Illinois Small Business Award.
Anthony Vasquez/Sun-Times
Aglipay said her journey is “not just a success, but also a triumph over adversity, because like many business owners, she has experienced setbacks that would have caused many to give up. Because there is.”
Despite obstacles such as store break-ins, the pandemic and personal challenges, “she refused to give up on her dream,” Aglipay said.
Mr. Jackson joins previous SBA award recipients including Ben & Jerry's, Callaway Golf, Chobani, Dogfish Head Brewery, Stonyfield Farms, Pacifica Beauty, Maui Brewing Company and Tom's of Maine. These companies were once small businesses, but are now national brands.
The administration presented the award during National Small Business Week, recognizing the 33.5 million small businesses across America that “support our economy and are the backbone of our communities.”
The federal agency says there have been 543,000 new business applications in Illinois since 2021. The SBA says businesses are opening at a rate 65% faster than pre-pandemic levels across the country.
Mr. Jackson owns five Kilwins in the Chicago area. Founded in 1947, Kilwin's is a Michigan-based chocolatier and ice cream shop with locations in approximately 26 states.
Jackson, a Brainerd Park native, opened the first Kilwin's in Orland Park more than 10 years ago. Currently, she has stores at Downtown Michigan's Her Avenue and Navy Her Pier in Andersonville, Geneva, and Evanston. She plans to open a River North store this month. Her staff has grown from 10 people to over 75 people.
Jackson also plans to open a Fatburger franchise in Chatham in June. She was part of the team that opened Fatburger in Orland Park (15110 S. La Grange Road) last year.
To bring the burger chain back to the southwest suburbs, she teamed up with NBA players Anthony Davis Jr., Derrick Rose, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Toy Salter, managing partner of ADTJ Development. Rapper Kanye West opened a Fatburger franchise in the same Orlando Park location in 2008, but closed it in 2011.
chocolate scent
Mr. Jackson was a Chicago public school teacher in the 1990s, earned a master's degree in education from Loyola University Chicago, and then became a real estate investor.
However, after her mother passed away in 2006, she fell into depression and lost interest in real estate. “She needed to find something that had passion and a sense of purpose,” she said.
While visiting Fort Lauderdale, Florida, she stumbled across Kilwins. The sweet smell of her store reminded her of her childhood and her mother.
“She loved turtle candy,” Jackson said. “I knew that if she was still on Earth, she would love this store.”
She saw a sign in the store about franchising Kilwins and immediately considered bringing the retailer to Chicago. As part of her initial research, she visited all of the Kilwins stores in her Fort Lauderdale neighborhood.
But it was a tough journey. She opened the first Kilwin's in Orland Park around 2008 during the Great Recession. The business failed even though she mortgaged her home and poured into her 401(k) retirement fund.
“The timing was wrong,” Jackson said. “I thought my life was over. But I had no choice. I had to go on.”
She broke her lease in Orland Park and opened a store in Old Town. However, the store closed in 2013 due to robberies and other criminal incidents.
Jackson also opened Kilwin's in Hyde Park around 2012. The chocolate company initially didn't want to set up shop in Hyde Park because it's not a tourist destination. And after his first two stores failed, Jackson “knew it was going to be difficult to get banks to believe in me.”
She received funding from the University of Chicago, Hyde Park's largest resident. The University of Chicago was driving the revitalization of 53rd Street by providing commercial space to a variety of shopping and dining tenants. She also borrowed money from her brother's retirement savings.
Twelve years later, Kilwins has become a Hyde Park staple, where he now resides. “The community has been phenomenal,” she said.
Kilwin's Andersonville store, 5224 N. Clark St., has a variety of chocolate treats on display.
Anthony Vasquez/Sun-Times
Trapped on Michigan Avenue
Jackson didn't receive a paycheck for 10 years and continued to overcome major challenges like the pandemic. After the pandemic lockdown, business at her Hyde Park store plummeted by 90%.
When protests escalated in 2020 after the killing of George Floyd, Jackson and her daughter Janelle, now 30, locked themselves inside Kilwins' Michigan Avenue store. The two drove downtown around midnight “just trying to board up right away, but it was insane,” Jackson said. “It was very scary, there was a lot of looting and we were locked up all night.”
The Jackson store got through the pandemic with financial support from the federal Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program, as well as grants from the University of Chicago, the City of Chicago and others.
But more challenges awaited. In November 2021, her Hyde Park store was damaged by bullets, including windows broken, after a shooting on 53rd Street. Despite the busy and lucrative holiday season approaching, Ms. Jackson made the difficult decision to close her store to protect her mental health in the wake of her recent traumatic experience.
She credits her recovery to the support of the community and the customers who sent her letters of encouragement. “That really inspired me to say, 'We have to reopen,'” she said.
She renewed the lease on the Hyde Park store and began renovations that Kilwins regularly requested. The store, which she plans to reopen in July 2022, won a $250,000 city grant last year to expand and build an outdoor patio space.
Ms. Jackson envisioned the new “Chocolate Garden” as a safe haven behind the store, giving “a sense of security and space to the community,” she said. It is scheduled to open in July and can accommodate approximately 200 people during events.
Janelle Jackson (left) and her mother, Jackie Jackson, owner of Kilwins, who received the Illinois Small Business of the Year award from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Anthony Vasquez/Sun-Times
Another bright spot is my daughter's involvement in the business. Janelle Jackson worked at Kilwin's since she was 14 years old and became his mother's business partner after graduating from college. She also recently graduated from the SBA Business Development Program.
Jackie Jackson said she started therapy after the Hyde Park shooting and learned a new approach to life.
“I have learned to live by faith rather than fear. I deeply believe that God will protect me and favor me forever,” she said. “My plan is to continue to expand Kilwins and have a greater impact on communities and families. This is my passion and purpose. It was bittersweet.”
Jackson said he continues to address operational issues such as inflation. She says supplies, labor, rent, taxes, construction, electricity and other costs are “getting completely out of control.” Her chocolate suppliers are raising costs by 8% as rising temperatures and weather conditions damage West Africa's cocoa crops and drive up prices.
Her advice to other small business owners?
“Something is going to happen, but you have to pick yourself up and keep going. Don't give up. It's going to be tough.”
