The building at 200 Applebee Street started as a Bowman Dairy building in 1904. It was later run by the Suburban Ice Company and then the Jefferson Ice Company. In the early 1970s it reopened as a shopping mall that kept the old ice house architecture. The owner's history page includes an old postcard caption saying the Bowman Dairy delivered milk around Barrington by horse-drawn carriage.
For most of the past fifty years, people have known the Ice House Mall & Village Shops as a daytime stop: antiques, rugs, a salon, a long-running restaurant. That is changing. By October 2026, three tenants were posting an event or a pour on almost every weeknight. One is a taproom open until 10 p.m. One is a bookstore that opened in June. One is a needlepoint shop and mahjong lounge whose class tickets include a beer from that taproom.
Five decades of daytime tenants
The Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce lists these Ice House Mall businesses: Chessie's Restaurant, Dubin Rarities, Once in a Blue Moon, Paris Market Antiques, Sanctuary Salon and Spa, Savvy Spirit, The Persian Knot and Travel House. It also lists the Barrington Area Artists Association. The mall's own directory adds Gray Wolf Records and Laura George Consulting.
Most of these are browsing and appointment businesses. Their customers come for an antique, a rug, a haircut or a trip booking. That mix explains the mall's long reputation as a daytime stop. It also explains why the newer tenants stand out. Their main draw is a scheduled gathering with a start time.
The mall's directory is slightly out of date. It still shows 2023 mall hours and lists Flesk Brewing in the taproom space. The Chamber's August 2026 listing names Sundial Brewing and Blending as the brewery there now.
The taproom sets the evening hours
Sundial Brewing and Blending is in Suite E. The Chamber describes it as a brewery and taproom inside the historic Ice House Mall, with beer "inspired by European farmhouse traditions." Its listed hours are 4 to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.
Sundial isn't brand new. A November 2024 profile in Illinois Brewing said the taproom had marked its first year in its brick-and-mortar space the summer before, which puts the opening around summer 2023. What has changed in 2026 is what surrounds it. A taproom pouring until 10 p.m. on weeknights has given the building a reason to stay busy after 6 p.m. Two newer tenants now schedule their own events inside that window.
A bookstore Barrington had been asking for
Bell House Books opened at 200 Applebee St., Suite 117, with a grand opening on Saturday, June 27, 2026. Owner Montana Bellagamba grew up in Barrington. As the Daily Herald reported, she started the business out of her home and ran pop-ups at women-owned shops in the area. She also sold at the village farmers market, now called Thursday Night Out, before moving into a space of nearly 1,100 square feet.
Village President Mike Moran told the paper, "A bookstore is the number one thing I've seen requested on social media." Bellagamba described the store as a general-interest bookstore meant to double as a community hub for author events and book clubs.
She also explained how she ended up in the Ice House. She found a network of women entrepreneurs who welcomed her into their spaces, including The Pepper Pot, already a tenant in the mall. "They are willing to connect and collaborate and help you grow," she said. The weeknight calendar grew out of that working relationship between neighbors.
Mahjong, needlepoint, and a beer from down the hall
The Pepper Pot is in Suite 114. It sells needlepoint canvas, fibers and accessories, and runs a lounge for needlepoint classes, mahjong classes, open play and leagues. The Village's August 31 development update marked it "Now open!"
The clearest sign of tenants working together is a price tag. The Pepper Pot's beginner Men's Mahjong Class on Wednesday, October 14, at 6 p.m. costs $60, and the ticket covers instruction plus one beer from Sundial. One tenant is selling a seat, and part of the price pays for a pour at another tenant down the hall.
Between ticketed classes, the shop runs lower-cost recurring sessions. Mahjong open play is $10 per seat. The open-play product page lists Tuesday and Thursday sessions, while the shop's FAQ says only Tuesday sessions are running right now, so check the current schedule before you go. Open stitch for needlepoint is free on Mondays from 1 to 3 p.m. and Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m. The First Stitch beginner class costs $25, and that amount is credited toward canvas and threads.
The next six weeks at 200 Applebee
These are the dated events posted by Bell House Books and The Pepper Pot through mid-November 2026. Bell House's online calendar shows October only so far, and it lists prices for these events only where a ticketing page gives one.
| Date | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed., Oct. 7, 6–7:30 p.m. | Entrepreneur Like a MOTHER: A Happy Hour with Beth Mazza & Victoria Sivrais | Bell House Books | Not listed |
| Thu., Oct. 8, 6–7 p.m. | Know Your Neighbor Game Night | Bell House Books | Not listed |
| Sun., Oct. 11, 10–10:45 a.m. | Mindful Made Easy Storytime | Bell House Books | Not listed |
| Wed., Oct. 14, 6 p.m. | Men's Mahjong Class, beginner | The Pepper Pot | $60, includes a Sundial beer |
| Thu., Oct. 15, 7–8:30 p.m. | Author Event with Thomas Kent West | Bell House Books | Not listed |
| Thu., Oct. 22, 7–9 p.m. | Uncorked: A Sip & Share with Lauren Brynjelsen | Bell House Books | $55, includes a book, a glass of wine and sweet treats |
| Mon., Oct. 26 & Wed., Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m. | Tile by Tile, two-part beginner American Mahjong series | The Pepper Pot | $125 per person |
| Sat., Nov. 7, 4 p.m. | 1989 Mahjong | The Pepper Pot | $50 per person |
| Fri., Nov. 13, 6 p.m. | Pairs & Pungs | The Pepper Pot | $80 per pair |
Seven of the nine events start at 6 p.m. or later, and almost all of those land on a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, the days Sundial opens at 4 p.m.
The October 15 author event has a local link. When the Daily Herald photographed Bellagamba for its opening-week story, she was holding "City of Iron and Ivy" by local author Thomas Kent West.
Saturday's Wine Walk and what's new nearby
The Ice House schedule overlaps with one of downtown's biggest fall afternoons. The Village and the Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce host the Barrington Fall Wine Walk on Saturday, October 10, from 2 to 6 p.m., with 24 merchant stops downtown. The Village listing doesn't say which businesses are participating. Sundial's Saturday hours run from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., so the taproom is open through the whole walk and after it ends.
A few blocks away, the Village's development updates page shows other recent openings. Fix Sandwich Shop has moved to 113 S. Cook St. and is open, serving homemade bread, Italian street sandwiches and baked goods. Long Story Short Pub is open at 113 E. Main St. Kurbside Pizza, a local food truck, is building its first brick-and-mortar location at 215 N. Hough St. The Village's August update said interior construction was underway.
At 133 Park Ave., chef Fabio Viviani announced in September plans for BOCADO Tapas upstairs "this fall," and Retoro, an omakase restaurant downstairs, in early 2027. No opening date for BOCADO had been posted as of that announcement.
Those additions are spread across downtown. At 200 Applebee, the change is inside one building. A dairy that later made ice, and spent fifty years as a daytime shopping stop, now has a taproom pouring until 10 p.m. and two neighbors who build their evening events around it.
If a building like the Ice House is part of why you love downtown Barrington, or part of why you're thinking about living within walking distance of it, I'm happy to talk through how places like this fit into what you're looking for. I'm Alka Patel, and I'll answer any question you have about the area, whatever stage you're at. Let's Connect.
