How a Hampshire girl with a bike and a dollar for fries turned the town bowling alley into a gift shop, paint studio, and gathering place
Hampshire, IL (second shop in Huntley, IL)
Just 12 minutes west of Highland Woods, downtown Hampshire still feels like small-town America. Christine Klein has always had a knack for seeing what something could become there, even when everyone else, including her own husband, could only see what it currently was.
Christine moved to Hampshire in 1976, when she was starting second grade and the whole town numbered about 1,000 people. Summers meant scrounging couch cushions and laundry piles with the neighborhood kids for enough loose change to bike to Chick-N-Dip, where $1.09 bought a bag of French fries and an entire afternoon of freedom. It was small-town living at its simplest, and it planted something in her that never really left.
Decades later, that same resourcefulness would build a business at 122 Washington Street.
Under Ken’s leadership, the company roofed countless homes throughout the area. In 2008, after decades of success, Ken launched Apex Exteriors to focus on serving homeowners. As Apex grew, Ken expanded and added HOAs, new construction, and commercial properties. Today, the company offers a wide range of services, including roofing, siding, windows, doors, gutters, engineered siding veneers, and emergency repairs. Ken is grateful to be a member of the South Elgin community for over 30 years.
The Vintage Hammer started small: 400 square feet of shared space and a big idea. For four years, Christine tried to sell the building that would eventually become her flagship store. Instead, she ended up buying it. “I have to make this work,” she remembers thinking the moment the offer was accepted. Boom, her husband, still can’t bring himself to look at the before photos.
The timing, in hindsight, was almost comedic. Christine and Boom moved into the new location the last week of February 2020. Days later, the world shut down.
Rather than fold, they pivoted fast. Curbside pickup, local delivery, and a heavy focus on paint carried the business through a year nobody could have planned for. And it worked. The Vintage Hammer didn’t just survive 2020; it found its footing.
Over the six years since, Christine has done what any good business owner does: she followed her data. Antiques gave way to more gifts and apparel. The shop evolved into something part boutique, part creative studio, home to two furniture painting classes a month, candle-pouring workshops, and a rotating lineup of guest artisans who rent the space for $20 an hour, supplies included. Gift baskets, corporate orders, and interior design round out the offerings. Anyone, Christine says, can walk in and paint something.
The building itself has a history of reinvention. Built in the 1940s, it has been part of Hampshire for generations. Boom and Christine transformed what was once Country Lanes, the town bowling alley, into a destination where people find a sense of community, a calming yet upbeat vibe, unique gifts, and a feeling you just can’t get anywhere else.
Behind the scenes, it’s a true partnership. Christine is the creative mind and Boom, her husband, is the one that makes the vision come to life. From repurposed and broken furniture and architectural pieces, they work together and create beautiful furniture pieces and also reinvent custom pieces for their customers. Christine is the painter, bringing dated pieces into gorgeous timeless works of art while Boom handles the sanding and staining refinishing work.
Christine’s own creative spark didn’t fully ignite until she was 40, the year she moved to Jamaica and fell in love, both with the island and with Boom. She hated the winters back home for an entirely different reason than most Midwesterners do. Eventually, family called them back, and winter, stubborn as ever, was waiting.
What they brought with them was a philosophy shaped by scarcity: when resources are limited, creativity fills the gap. “All of our things are made from the heart with lots of love,” Christine says. “We hope you take our things and use them in ways that make you happy.”
Post-pandemic, she noticed something else. People didn’t just want to shop anymore. They wanted an experience. They wanted to laugh at a card’s irreverent wording, browse products from Illinois and southern Wisconsin that feel unmistakably Midwest, and feel something on their way out the door.
Not everything has landed. Some products, Christine admits, have flopped spectacularly. But she’s already looking ahead to spring 2027 and whatever comes next. Follow The Vintage Hammer on social media for the reveal.
Last year, the business opened a second location in Huntley, diagonal from Marcus Chocolates. It’s a smaller, gift-forward sister shop with a sprinkling of apparel and jewelry.
Ask Christine about the secret to it all, and she doesn’t point to herself. She points to Boom and the entire Vintage Hammer team.
“I don’t deserve to have such a strong team who works so hard to make every guest experience perfect,” she says.
From Chick-N-Dip fries to a converted bowling alley, Christine Klein has spent a lifetime turning small change into something bigger. She just happens to have Boom, and a great team, in her corner.
The Vintage Hammer | 122 Washington Street, Hampshire, IL — 12 minutes west of Highland Woods
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns The Vintage Hammer?
Christine Klein owns The Vintage Hammer in downtown Hampshire, IL, with her husband, Boom. Christine is the painter and creative mind, and Boom handles sanding and staining refinishing work.
Where is The Vintage Hammer located?
The flagship store is at 122 Washington Street in downtown Hampshire, IL, about 12 minutes west of Highland Woods in Elgin. A second, smaller gift shop is in Huntley, IL, diagonal from Marcus Chocolates.
What does The Vintage Hammer sell and offer?
The shop is part boutique and part creative studio. It offers gifts, apparel, Illinois and southern Wisconsin products, gift baskets, corporate orders, interior design, custom and refinished furniture, furniture painting classes, and candle-pouring workshops.
Does The Vintage Hammer offer furniture painting classes?
Yes. The Vintage Hammer hosts two furniture painting classes a month, and Christine says anyone can walk in and paint something. Follow the shop on social media for current class dates.
Can artisans rent space at The Vintage Hammer?
Yes. Guest artisans rent the space for $20 an hour, supplies included, according to Christine.
What is the history of The Vintage Hammer’s building?
The building at 122 Washington Street was built in the 1940s and was once Country Lanes, Hampshire’s bowling alley. Christine and Boom transformed it into a gift shop and creative studio.
Does The Vintage Hammer do custom and refinished furniture?
Yes. Christine and Boom create furniture pieces from repurposed and broken furniture and architectural pieces, and they reinvent custom pieces for customers. Christine paints and Boom sands and stains.
Written by Jennifer for livingwellwithjennifer.com — spotlighting local Fox Valley businesses and the people behind them. Know a business with a story worth telling? Contact Jennifer at Jennifer.Abbatacola@N2co.com
