Dan Korbelak, 78

Cabinet designer owned beloved Lincoln Park store

July 03, 2004|By Barbara Sherlock, Tribune staff reporter.

For 38 years, each present bought at Dan Korbelak's giftware store left with a hand-tied cloth bow shaped like a poinsettia, a design he devised when he and his wife opened the store on North Clark Street.

"Honesty, integrity and modesty were the principles that guided him throughout his life," said his wife, Bunnie. "Whether he was finding something for the store or creating original cabinetry, he showed a quiet humility that belied his exceptional talent.

"We cared about our store, our customers; Dan cared--things had to be right, or he would get very upset."

Mr. Korbelak, 78, co-owner of the former Distinctive Interior Designs, died of a heart attack Wednesday, June 23, in The Hallmark retirement community in Chicago.

On the site of a small defunct tailor shop and dry cleaners in Lincoln Park, Mr. Korbelak built up a business with such a comforting ambience that customers such as Elizabeth Bannon said it was like entering a friendly home.

"Dan and his wife had such warm, wonderful personalities," said Bannon, a customer for 15 years. "I always thought it was such a lovely store, and they were always so gracious. They had a great sense of pride in what they sold and that people would be happy with it. Everything was in impeccable taste and phenomenal quality."

Mr. Korbelak was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. After serving in the Navy toward the end of World War II, he graduated from Otterbein College in Ohio with a bachelor's degree in social work. He came to Chicago and worked for an interior designer, creating cabinetry and designing during the day while he took night classes at the Institute of Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

In 1958, he married Irmingard "Bunnie" Kaltschmidt, after falling in love with her while visiting a friend's home. Three years later, the couple opened their store.

"Dan found this little space in an old Victorian building on Clark Street; it was small, and the rent was affordable," his wife said. "He thought we could turn it into something that was a combination of his custom cabinetry and retail store showcasing china and crystal.

"He physically built the store's interior all by himself, including--and this always blows my mind--the sliding tracks that the cabinet doors slide on. Those tracks served us for 38 years."

In the early years, the store sold handmade pottery and mouth-blown crystal, "anything of an artistic nature," his wife said, along with vases and bowls. As the store evolved, it also became known for its fine china, crystal, sterling silver and stainless flatware. The store later had a bridal and gift registry.

"Customers from around the country would call in to order things as gifts, trusting us to choose it and never questioning us," his wife said.

Ald. Vi Daley (43rd), who has lived in the Lincoln Park neighborhood for 38 years, was a regular at the store. "A good share of the community shopped there," Daley said. "They helped you pick out things, and they had such unique things. They packaged and mailed it, everything. They were just a great store for the neighborhood."

Mr. Korbelak's dog, J.C., a mutt he liked to call a Scottish black and tan, greeted visitors walking up the sidewalk to the store, and customers dubbed the dog "Mayor of Clark Street." After J.C. died, Trixie, a Labrador-border collie took up the duties of store hostess.

The store was destroyed by fire in 1999, leaving Mr. Korbelak emotionally devastated, his wife said. "It was such a blow to Dan that I don't know that he ever really recovered." His wife had suggested opening another store, but he refused.

Survivors also include two sisters, Anna Zacharkow and Rose Maguire; one brother, John; and nieces and nephews.

A memorial is being planned for a later date.