Locally owned Bucktown boutiques going bye-bye

Tricia Tunstall/courtesy of John R. Boehm, Crain's

How would you feel if a Chili’s moved into your neighborhood and replaced your favorite taqueria? How about Applebee’s taking over the corner tap? Local businesses are what make Chicago’s neighborhoods so vibrant and unique, and yet, according to an article in Crain’s Chicago Business, ‘buying local’ seems to have fallen short in one industry: clothing boutiques. Neighborhoods like Bucktown, Gold Coast, Southport Corridor (also known as West Lakeview to non-real estate agents) and Lincoln Park have long been recognized for housing the city’s most eclectic mix of locally owned boutiques. But, many of these stores are struggling to survive, due to the weak economy, higher rents and national, big name retailers setting up shop in the same ‘hoods.

The Crain’s article focuses primarily on Bucktown, including quotes from the owner of p45 Tricia Tunstall and Laura Merlo of the now-shuttered Jade:

“When Ms. Tunstall looks down her Bucktown block today, she sees national and international retailers crowding Damen Avenue. Nannette Lepore, Club Monaco, Marc Jacobs and Intermix are only a few of the prominent outsiders filling up the neighborhood.

These companies bring more than big names. They come with a key competitive advantage: deeper pockets.

Laura Merlo learned that lesson the hard way. In early 2005, she used personal savings and a bank loan to open Jade on Milwaukee Avenue in Wicker Park…Each month during her first two years in business, she met her sales goals. But then the thriving Bucktown and Wicker Park shopping scene received more press, which led to more tourists trickling over from the Magnificent Mile. Those mobs, a potential boon for Jade, turned out to be a nightmare.

Lured by more shoppers, the big names targeted the neighborhood."

If locally owned shops lose the battle for business, it’s no doubt neighborhoods will lose some of their personality and charm. "Local boutiques offer a kind of detail and attention that you won't find in mass market department stores," says Chicago Style Examiner Jennifer Rifkin. "The array of clothing, jewelry and accessories that boutiques display are a tribute to the individual taste and style of the owner, and the neighborhood where it's located.  Bucktown is known for high-end shops that carry and promote a variety of designers, from well-known artists to creators on the rise. It's a neighborhood of shops that adds very much to the fashion scene in Chicago."

The next time you head out for a shopping trip, why not hit up a local boutique before trucking it to Club Monaco? Stop by one of these locally owned Bucktown/Wicker Park stores that Rifkin says are worth saving: 

• Stitch
• Veruca Salt
• Plein Aire
• Roslyn
• Ruby Room