Celebrating Women’s History Month in Ravenswood

It was a journey to find a space that would work for her needs. Lucila spent a year borrowing the kitchen at Blue Sky Bakery from then-owner Lisa Thompson, a time she looks back on fondly. It was “very grassroots”, she noted with a laugh. “You never forget those people on your way and your journey.” Lucila’s current production facility, located in the heart of Ravenswood’s Industrial Corridor, has become a home to Lucila, her staff, and her family.

It was a challenge at the beginning to introduce alfajores to the Chicago market. When Lucila’s hit the scene, most customers had no idea what an alfajor was. Luckily, alfajores aren’t a hard sell when it comes to educating the consumer—one taste, and you’re hooked! Sixteen years on, Lucila’s can be found in retail spaces across the city (including Spoken Cafe on Montrose) and orders regularly ship nationwide. It hasn’t always been easy, but as Lucila tells it, “I was never afraid I would fail. It never crossed my mind.” I asked her what advice she had for young entrepreneurs, particularly women, for whom the thought of failure can loom large. “Don’t be afraid, and don’t underestimate yourself. You have nothing to lose and a lot to gain. It takes a lot of grit.”

In addition to being a master at her craft, Lucila is a celebrated community figure known for her dedication, hard work, and enduring good spirits. She’s right about grit. And if you need grit, then you most certainly need to balance it out with something that melts in your mouth. Might we suggest a few alfajores?

And the leadership of Margaret herself, who once held post as the GRCC’s Director of Development and describes herself as being someone “rooted in making my environment better…someone with skin in the game.” Her advice to young women on the path to community leadership? “Be loud, be present, be bold. Ask questions, be curious, and have fun. Surround yourself with veteran leaders.”

Common Pantry has been serving healthy food with dignity since 1967. The pantry’s 59th year as a Chicago institution promises to be an interesting one: Margaret speaks openly about existential threats to the pantry, but it’s clear that plans are being laid to address these concerns as we speak. Simultaneously, many exciting expansions, additions, and celebrations lie ahead, including the 15th anniversary of the I Am Your Neighbor party happening on October 2, 2026.

Sitting in the service room as we spoke, we watched as so many moving parts came together to form the beautiful and resilient thing we call community. It’s easy for something like that to seem impossible, when you stop to think about it. Margaret brought up a quote from Nelson Mandela that made it click, one that has become something of a mantra among the Common Pantry team: “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

In some big tall building downtown we are not. Krebs Financial’s office is based here in Ravenswood, which Liz describes as “the perfect live-work community” where friends and neighbors become clients and clients so often become friends. Over two decades, her work has impacted hundreds of lives and family, embedding greater financial security and confidence into the fabric of the community.  To Liz, it all starts with the personal connection she makes with a client: “I love learning about other people.” 

As a female financial advisor, Liz represents a minority group—only about 20% of financial advisors are women. It’s clear that she’s thoughtful about her legacy as a woman leader: when I ask what it means to her, she explains it as “showing up, personally and professional, for other women who haven’t had the opportunities I’ve had.” It wasn’t always easy, of course. Liz shares that she, like many young women getting a foothold in their career, often underestimated her potential in the beginning. “My business took off after I found that confidence.”  

When asked what advice she would give to young women entrepreneurs, she doesn’t miss a beat: “Find a mentor,” she says, emphasizing the importance of “having people you can trust, that can give you honest feedback.” Looking to enhance your own financial autonomy? Keep an eye out for future educational opportunities from Krebs Financial!  

Eventually, she enrolled at The French Pastry School in Chicago, where she trained under renowned chefs. The turning point came in 2010, when Amy was laid off from her marketing job. Rather than search for another corporate role, she decided to take the opportunity to pursue the dream she had quietly carried for years: opening a neighborhood candy shop. With the help of a small business grant and loan, she opened Amy’s Candy Bar in 2011.  

Step inside the shop today and it feels like something out of a storybook. Vintage glass jars line the walls, filled with colorful candies from around the world, while the scent of caramel and chocolate drifts from the kitchen. Over the years, Amy’s Candy Bar has earned national recognition, landing on lists of America’s best candy shops and becoming a go-to destination for anyone chasing a little sugar-fueled nostalgia. But for Amy, the heart of the business has always been the neighborhood. Families stop in after school. Couples order custom treats for weddings and celebrations. And more than a decade after opening, the shop continues to make Ravenswood a pretty sweet place to live.  

She launched K Collaborative as a deliberately small, highly personal consultancy, designed to work closely with clients rather than scale into a traditional agency. Today, roughly 90 percent of Kelly’s portfolio consists of women-owned and women-led businesses, along with a number of nonprofits. Her work sits at the intersection of brand strategy and business thinking: helping founders articulate what their brand stands for, how to communicate it, and how to align it with their broader goals.

For Kelly, the work is as much about partnership as it is about branding. That philosophy extends beyond client projects. Recently, Kelly has begun hosting workshops for entrepreneurs, particularly women starting their own businesses. Kelly prefers to keep her work intentionally high-touch and relationship-driven. It’s an approach that reflects how she likes to work: collaboratively, personally, and with a deep understanding of the people behind each business. 

When asked what advice she’d give young women entrepreneurs, Kelly didn’t hesitate: ask questions. “You won’t know everything,” she said. “Recognizing what you don’t know and asking for help is powerful.” For Kelly, leadership is less about having all the answers and more about learning continuously—and lifting others up along the way. It’s a mindset shaped by the women who supported her career, and one she’s now committed to paying forward through her work with other founders. 

(When she isn’t working on K Collaborative, Kelly also co-operates Wine&, a wine event and experience company that’s all about finding surprising ways to pair wine with places, people, conversations, and emotions. Learn more on Instagram!)