New home goods, textiles, furnishings business under construction on Chicago Boulevard

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Mary Lowe, The Daily Telegram

Fri, Sep 8, 2023, 2:08 AM 2 min read

TECUMSEH — Sisters Ela Dineen and Silvia Frey are bringing a new retail business to downtown Tecumseh soon.

The sisters are starting a new home goods, textiles and furnishings business at 127 E. Chicago Blvd., which is currently under construction. The retail business will be called The Matthews House, and the sisters hope to open sometime this fall in time for the city’s holiday season festivities.

Sisters Silvia Frey, left, and Ela Dineen are pictured at their new home goods, textiles and furnishings business at 127 E. Chicago Blvd., Tecumseh, which is currently under construction. The sisters hope to open sometime this fall in time for the city’s holiday season festivities.

The sisters are originally from Illinois, and both attended college at Loyola University in Chicago. Dineen moved to Tecumseh with her family in October 2019, and knew she wanted to have a business in the community. Frey shared that passion when she moved to Tecumseh in January 2022 with her family.

Dineen is a Spanish teacher and instructional coach for a virtual school, and Frey works in finance and accounting for a supplier in the food industry.

This is the first business venture for both Dineen and Frey, and the sisters say they feel fortunate to be bringing it to fruition together.

The front of The Matthew's House is pictured. The new home goods, textiles and furnishings business at 127 E. Chicago Blvd., Tecumseh, is currently under construction.

“We hope to attract customers that want to find small ways to make their house a home. We hope to carry pieces that make people happy to share their home with others, and help them enjoy the space they live in,” Dineen said in an email. “Home is a very big part of our lives, and it should make us happy to walk into every day. We hope to help people find the joy in their home.”

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The sisters’ main goal for their business is to forge partnerships with local artisans and sell their lines exclusively at the new store. They say they were attracted by the small-businesses activity in downtown Tecumseh and want to encourage local business support.

“We adore our small town and feel that the downtown Tecumseh area has such a nice buzz during daytime,” Dineen said. “We love to sit downtown at the coffee shop and watch people pop in from one store to the next. We can’t wait to be a place for them to stop by.”