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Bye-Bye Bricks and MortarAs big-name boutiques roll into town, local retailers are closing up shop—or moving online.
By Heather Kenny February 14, 2008
Marc Jacobs was in town last month to celebrate the opening of his new Wicker Park boutique—joined by celebrated photographer Victor Skrebneski, local style bigwigs like Melissa Gamble, and if you believe the gossip, a couple hundred company employees flown in specially for the occasion. The partygoers, young, good-looking, and dressed in their sexiest shifts and slim-fit suits, filled a two-floor space on Milwaukee Avenue, where they enjoyed a sumptuous sit-down meal (choice of lamb, fish, or vegetarian entree) and danced to tunes spun by Perry Farrell. For those of us more accustomed to crowding into a storefront that still smells like paint and nibbling on tiny appetizers, it was quite an event. Across the street, the darkened windows of the women’s boutique Language advertised a final sale. Owner Natalie Barber had decided to close the shop, which she’d run for less than two years, to focus on online sales.
Barber, who’s 32, quit her job as a financial analyst to open the store after realizing her favorite part of the day was getting dressed in the morning. She stocked her small space with exquisite pieces from emerging brands like Sunner, Geren Ford, Abaete, and Lewis Cho, and matched them with handbags by Rachel Nasvik, costume jewelry by Kenneth Jay Lane, and classic luggage by Angel Jackson. Language looked like the walk-in closet of a modern jet-setter.
At the same time, larger chains began moving into the neighborhood, which had long been known for its indie shopping. Scoop NYC led the charge in March 2006, the same month Language opened. Recent months have seen the launch of outposts for Nanette Lepore, BCBG Max Azria, Cynthia Rowley, and of course Marc by Marc Jacobs.
“Everyone’s hurting right now,” Barber says. “It’s a tough economy.” But she admits that “in that neighborhood there is that additional challenge, a massive influx of national chains that wasn’t there even two years ago.”
When Barber started selling merchandise at language-chicago.com last April, she was stunned at how little effort it took for her online business to grow. She hadn’t bothered with marketing or ads and spent just a couple days a month working on the site, but within six months it accounted for half her sales. “We really thought it was going to be supplemental,” she says. “We had no thought to make it a priority.”
Barber’s online customers seem impervious to the economic downturn so far. “People love online shopping or they never do it. The people who love it, they’re very good customers. Obviously I love having the store, but at some point the businessperson in me has to step forward and point out that we’re tying up resources in it,” she says. She’s now in the process of choosing a PR firm and plans to work with an advertising consultant to build her online business more aggressively.
She’s not alone in rethinking retail right now. Active Endeavors, which started out in 1985 as an outdoor gear store before moving on to trendy men’s and women’s clothes in the 90s, recently shuttered its Glencoe and Lincoln Park stores and will close its Evanston location at the end the month. In a press release, CEO Drew Davis said that doing away with “the distractions of the myriad tasks it takes to run brick and mortar stores” will allow the company to improve its Web site, activeendeavors.com.
Laura Merlo has owned Jade in Wicker Park for nearly three years. After watching sales go down over the past six to eight months, she’s decided to close and reopen at the same site under a new concept, which she’s not ready to disclose. The bigger stores, explains Merlo, often carry the same merchandise and can afford more liberal return policies. “We like to think the neighborhood is unique, with small businesses and boutiques, but the large stores are driving sales out of here,” she says.
Barber plans to maintain a presence in Wicker Park by holding occasional events and teaming up with other retailers for warehouse sales. Despite increasing competition, a disappointing holiday retail season, and an economy that looks to get worse before it gets better, Barber says she thinks that the neighborhood’s best, most entrenched independent stores will be able to hang on—stores like Tangerine and the decade-old p.45, which is currently being renovated. “Some have such deep roots, such loyal customers,” she says. “I really do think they’re going to prosper regardless.” Send a letter to the editor.
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I at 10:22 AM on 2/15/2008
This is sad and unfortunate. Is there anything that can be done to keep out such big biz, from our treasured neighborhoods and retain the local identity and shops.
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Koji at 2:35 PM on 2/15/2008
there is something that can be done: shop local. maybe landlords offering reduced rents to locally owned shops, as if that would ever happen?
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max at 5:49 PM on 2/15/2008
"Laura Merlo has owned Jade in Wicker Park for nearly three years." A whole three years! Whoa! It's Wicker Park- there's nothing treasured or local about the place, IT'S ALL NEW.
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Milo Minderbinder at 9:31 AM on 2/16/2008
It's pretty hard to feel bad about the closing of a boutique that "looked like the walk-in closet of a modern jet-setter" and sold "exquisite pieces from emerging brands [meaning, I think, designers]". Precisely the sort of thing we need fewer of, not more.
I agree with the "buy local" ethic, but let's apply it to things like books and records, food (been to your local butcher or baker lately?), and things that actually improve quality of life. Adorable little boutiques (at least in my experience) do little but chase out useful businesses and raise rents, while selling the most useless merchandise imaginable.
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Kim Bean at 8:10 PM on 2/17/2008
I agree with Milo. Some things belong in the world marketplace (i.e. online), to be more accessible to the people who truly appreciate them. Good luck to you!
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Carter at 1:08 PM on 2/18/2008
I feel for anyone losing a business they poured their blood, sweat & tears into, but it is a bit ironic -
what of the mom and pop shops that got run out of Wicker Park due to the same forces that support boutiques?
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rickey gold at 2:29 PM on 2/18/2008
Small neighborhood businesses, not to mention mom & pops, will need to tighten up their marketing budgets to do well this year...unless rents go down (which is highly unlikely). But there will always be smart businesses that survive (some that even do well) in tough economic conditions. Usually, they're the ones that employ creative guerilla marketing tactics and offer excellent customer service.
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Mike Masters at 2:43 PM on 2/18/2008
Andersonville has been actively preventing corporate chains from opening there for decades. They have inspired international studies on how the money spent in this type of community, stays in the community. Join or create a neighborhood council, shop local, get involved. Efficiency is stripping away our identity, fight back. Learn more Andersonville.org
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Carter at 3:07 PM on 2/18/2008
Thanks Mike, I in fact send/post that study around quite often, it's findings have been mirrored/extrapolated upon by authors such as Thom Hartmann as well.
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Spook at 4:27 PM on 2/19/2008
Seems like the general consensus is that those boutiques are owned by the trust fund bratspring of fat cat daddies and country club mommies. When you enter those stores they can’t see you because their chiseled botoxed noses are pointed straight up to the stars, basically saying "you are not "it" unless you can afford the ridiculously over priced priced "it".
And even if you are insane enough to by something, it will take at least six purchases for them to even acknowledge you.
What is interesting is that some of those thrift an 2nd hand stores in Wicker Park have been open forever!
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Are you 12, Spook? at 11:08 PM on 2/19/2008
Could you stereotype even more?
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alex at 7:40 AM on 2/20/2008
the funny thing is that the stereotype is pretty true. I've never been treated well by any owner of any "it" boutique. Unless they can figure out customer service skills, yes the public will choose the corporate stuff. If the corporate stuff employees actually are trained to acknowledge you and gasp - smile, say hello and help you find what you want.
Not just scowl at you from behind the counter.
I don't think brown elephant is a good comparison due to the fact that it's a non profit and gets funding whether it can pay its rent or not.
The good independent businesses will always survive. Cookie cutter boutiques that have no good atmosphere to offer - yep will go away or online.
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Spook at 11:35 AM on 2/20/2008
Dear "Are you 12, Spook?",
Yes yes yes, I can stereotype even more!
Catch me out drinking on the weekend and I can assure you that from my plethora of bombastic stereo types, like the Fugees said "No body's Protected!"
But as I'm not drinking, you know in your heart of hearts that I speak nothing but truth! So back up off me!
Just like Alex said, it’s true!
But Alex it’s not just the Brown Elephant that continues to do well. Every second hand and thrift store located in Wicker Park has been there forever and doing well, unlike those "papa pays for it all in the end boutiques"
The only second hand store that closed down in Wicker Park was owned by a blonde over the hill Euro trash chick who retagged (at Water Tower prices) stuff she found dumpster diving.
I was more than thrilled to see her (after she got booted from her rented store) to see her selling her trash in the parking lot of Pontiac bar, still looking as haughty as ever!
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