Former State Rep. Opening Spice Shop

Former 62nd District state representative Sandy Cole is getting ready to make a career change.

Cole plans to open a Savory Spice Shop franchise in downtown Libertyville.

"It's a gift I always love getting," Cole said of spices. "People love to cook these days, and with the economy, people are working at home or spending more time cooking."

Cole has received Savory Spice Shop gift sets from her son, who lives in Colorado. The company's headquarters are in Denver. She said she was contemplating what to do next in her life, looked at the spices her son sent her and decided to see if the company was offering franchises. 

Now that she has completed the application and training process, Cole is planning to open the shop Sept. 1 at 528 N. Milwaukee Ave. 

She'd been looking for a space in the northern Lake County area.

"I was lucky to find this spot in downtown Libertyville," said Cole, whose shop will occupy the space previously occupied by Wisma. "I'm really excited about being down there."

Savory Spice Shops offer about 400 spices; 100 of those are blends. She's also working on some locally-themed blends. 

"You walk into a Savory Spice Shop and the aroma is just fabulous," said Cole.
 
There will also be extracts, hot sauces and other spicy items, like sea salts mixed with ghost chilies. 

"I'm not a chef, but I do like to cook," said Cole. "I think there's just that generation that really likes to cook, with all of those cooking shows."

Check out Savory Spice Shop's Facebook page, where Cole has already started sharing some recipes.