When they opened their third Just Ducky store in the area, the Donofrio family brought a local flavor to Promenade Bolingbrook, a new shopping mall otherwise occupied by national retailers.

Lori Donofrio and her brother, Darren, opened the store in late April, more than 20 years after their mother first opened Just Ducky, selling home decorations and gifts at locations in Naperville and Darien.

Darren said he and his sister got involved years ago in the business as understudies for their mother, who, as Darren said, “still gets dressed and comes to work each day, even though Lori and I handle the day-to-day operations.”

“My sister and I would work at the store when we came home from school and on our vacations,” Darren said. “My sister graduated with a degree in finance from Marquette and I went to the University of Illinois. We think gift shops represent a unique business since there aren’t a lot of them around.”

The original Just Ducky store opened in October of 1986 in Darien, and was followed 14 years later by the Naperville store, in the southern part of the city on Route 59.

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