WB_121318

18 | December 13, 2018 | The wilmette beacon NEWS
wilmettebeacon.com
Lad & Lassie remains family affair in Wilmette
Business opened
in 1953
Alexa Burnell
Freelance Reporter
Stores may come and
stores may go, but Wilmette’s
Lad & Lassie has
withstood the test of time
for 65 years thanks to the
kind of personalized service
only a business built
on values can provide.
Lad & Lassie came to
be in 1953 when Beulah
Liepsiger followed her
passion for fashion, opening
her very own children
and toddler’s fancy clothing
store in the heart of
Wilmette. Later, with her
son-in-law, Bill Evans,
by her side, the shop was
expanded to include women’s
apparel, making Lad
& Lassie a one, stop shop
for the whole family.
Today, Lad & Lassie
is run by three of the Evans
sisters, Patty, Mimi
and Zee, all who grew
up knowing that the store
was their home away from
home.
“For as long as I can remember,
we were always
at the shop,” Mimi said.
“The best part was that our
father treated us like real
employees, even when we
were still very young. He
taught us how to mark the
stock in the back, took us
to lunch to discuss business
matters and involved
us in every aspect of the
store.”
As the girls grew older,
they took the train from
their Highland Park home,
heading to the store after
school, picking up added
responsibilities along the
way.
“We eventually learned
how to work the floor,
helping with sales and
learning valuable interpersonal
skills at a young
age,” Patty said. “Dad
even involved us in purchasing
decisions, often
taking us on buying runs
to the City.”
Along with teaching his
children the ropes, Evans
was fully-invested in
the community. He was a
member of the Wilmette
Optimist Club — helping
disadvantage youth, succeed
in life. He, along
with business owners Jerry
Inbinder and Jerry Crabbe,
spearheaded the annual
holiday parade, creating
a tradition for families to
enjoy for years to come.
Most importantly, Evans
was known as a business
man who treated his employees
and customers
with the utmost respect.
“Dad was very dedicated
to his employees and
built a true family here at
the store,” Zee said. “He
could leave with confidence,
knowing everyone
who worked at the store
was fully invested. He
extended that trust to his
female clients, allowing
them to have their own accounts,
set-up in their own
names, which gave them
the chance to build credit;
this wasn’t a common
practice at the time, but
our dad understood the importance
of this decision.”
As time marched on and
the Evans sisters headed
to college, they were continuously
drawn back to
the store. One thing lead to
The Evans sisters, Patti, Mimi and Zee, run Lad &
Lassie, 1115 Central Ave., Wilmette. Alexa Burnell/22nd
Century Media
another and it wasn’t long
before Patty, Mimi and
Zee were officially running
the store. Through
it all, the women became
mothers themselves; many
of their own children attended
D39 schools, coming
to the shop after school
to work, carrying on a
family tradition.
Today, the three women
share the load of keeping
Lad & Lassie the same
store folks have grown to
Please see Lassie, 22