Hermès has opened an 8,000-square-foot, two-level boutique inside Plaza del Lago's historic Spanish Revival façade on Sheridan Road in Wilmette. It is the French luxury house's second location in Illinois and its first outside Chicago's Gold Coast.

WS Development, which owns the nearly century-old shopping center, called Hermès its "first new retail partner within the reinvigorated Plaza del Lago," according to Patch.

The interior draws on the center's lakeside setting, with design cues from light, texture and the surrounding natural environment. The 1920s façade was preserved.

WS Development president Samantha David called the opening "the beginning of a new era for this iconic destination."

"Plaza del Lago was at one time the heart of the community and it is our commitment to return it to that noble calling," David said in a statement. "Hermès shares our deep appreciation for community, quality and tradition which makes them the perfect partner for this journey of restoration and revitalization."

The boutique is the marquee arrival in a four-year luxury makeover of the center at 1515 Sheridan Road. WS Development, a Massachusetts-based developer, purchased Plaza del Lago from Kite Realty Group in June 2022 and has since signed 21 new retail and restaurant leases across the approximately 100,000-square-foot property. Twelve storefronts have opened so far, including Jenni Kayne, rag & bone, LoveShackFancy and Veronica Beard. The Henry restaurant opened June 3 in a freestanding building at the plaza's northwest corner.

More names are still coming. Oscar de la Renta, which would be the fashion house's first Midwest location, is expected later in 2026. Peter Millar, DÔEN, ZIMMERMANN, Diptyque and La Vie Style House are also on the signed-lease list, according to the Village of Wilmette.

The transformation is already showing up in village finances. As we reported July 31, Wilmette Finance Director Melinda Molloy told the Village Board on July 28 that Plaza del Lago generated $254,000 in combined sales tax revenue over the six months from October 2025 through March 2026, a 149% increase over the typical $102,000 the village would collect from the center in that span. Projected across a full year, the added revenue would exceed $300,000. Those figures do not yet reflect sales from The Henry or other recent openings, due to the lag in how Illinois remits sales tax to municipalities.

Johnnie-O, the golf apparel brand founded by Winnetka native John O'Donnell, also opened its first standalone Midwest store at Plaza del Lago in late July. Oscar de la Renta is the next major name expected to debut on Sheridan Road, though no date has been announced.