December 14, 2005
Now Open: Oil & Vinegar
As previously mentioned, Oil & Vinegar has opened at Old Orchard in the old Crabtree & Evelyn space in the Fountain Court. We talked to the guy at the store. Store has only been open a few weeks. They are pretty new in the U.S., but have been in Europe for about 5 years. Bascially, it's kinda like a bulk candy store, where you pay to fill up glass bottles with the type of oils you want. Of course you can taste them before hand. Some are pretty pricey. But it's an interesting concept if you are into such things. I can see us going back to check it out.
Posted by Tannerman at 08:57 PM | Comments (0)
Now Open: Sony Style
With the Disney Store relocated, the Sony Store is now open in the old Mickey space on Pear Lane. I can't say it looks more exciting than the Apple Store... but then again, what is? Not a big fan of Sony technologies or their corporate policies. But hey, at least it's not another clothing store at Old Orchard, which I appreciate!
Posted by Tannerman at 08:56 PM | Comments (0)
Now Open: H2O Plus... finally!
Well, it's been behind construction walls since May... but H2O Plus has finally opened on Pear Lane at Old Orchard. Good grief, that took freakin' forever. Fire the folks who worked on that job! (Or maybe Westfield just dragged the negotiations or something... who knows?)
Posted by Tannerman at 08:53 PM | Comments (0)
November 29, 2005
So long Saks, hello Steve and Barry's
Back in May, we reported here at the Old Orchard Observer about Saks Fifth Avenue gearing up to close at Old Orchard. The store finally did close at the end of July.
Before Saks did say good-bye, there were various levels of Store Closing sales. Amy and I dropped by many of these to check in on the progress of clearing out the large Saks space. The Old Orchard location had 3 levels (main, upper, and basement). Here are some photos we took during those final days.
Inside the store, many of the fixtures were for sale, though it seemed like quite a few were earmarked for other Saks locations.
Eventually, all mention of Saks would be removed from the mall. This electronic sign mounted on the Professional Building was quickly changed after the Saks closing to remove the name of the store (and they probably fixed the burned out lightbulbs as well).
Signage was removed from the main Saks building as well, resulting in a very empty, barren spot. Much like everything at that end of Old Orchard.
You may remember that back in June, word was leaked that Westfield was considering adding a lifestyle center element to Old Orchard. According to the plans made public, this would involve the demolition of both the Lord & Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue anchor buildings. I haven't heard anything new since that news came out, but we did wonder if Westfield would leave the Saks building vacant or try to find a new tenant. That question was answered in October when the Chicago Tribune reported on a tenant to fill the space:
$10-or-Less Clothing RetailerSource: Chicago TribuneSteve and Barry's University Sportswear was founded in 1985, and while it seems like a good short-term fit for Old Orchard, my money is that they have a short-term lease with Westfield so that the lifestyle center plans would not be harmed.
A new style for Old Orchard
October 7, 2005
By Becky YerakGone are the days when shopping malls relied solely on department stores as anchor tenants.
At Westfield Old Orchard in Skokie, a $10-or-less clothing retailer is moving into a vacated Saks store, an example of how even upscale malls in well-heeled areas are rethinking the notion of who should occupy the biggest spaces.
Steve & Barry's University Sportswear, which sells inexpensive men's, women's and children's clothes including jeans, jackets and licensed college goods, will occupy all three floors of the 105,000-square-foot space vacated by Saks in July. It is expected to open next month.
The privately held Port Washington, N.Y., firm typically operates stores ranging from 20,000 to 150,000 square feet in less prestigious malls.
"This is our first Class A mall," Steve & Barry's spokesman Rick Gomes said.
"They came to us because we're a company who can put something in quickly," he said of the retailer's relationship with mall owner Westfield Group.
At Old Orchard, Steve & Barry's joins such traditional mall stalwarts as Marshall Field's, Lord & Taylor, Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom. Spaces for those retailers range from just under 200,000 square feet to 400,000 square feet.
As retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Target Corp. open hundreds of free-standing stores a year, malls are trying new ways to remain relevant to consumers, particularly younger ones, and are looking beyond tried-and-true conventional department stores as key tenants.
"We thought Steve & Barry's would be a great addition and bring a different clientele," said Thomas Sikoral, Westfield Old Orchard general manager.
In May, Steve & Barry's was named in an International Council of Shopping Centers survey as one of retailing's five hottest merchants--along with Apple Computer Inc., Coach Inc., Williams Sonoma Inc. and White House Black Market, a subsidiary of Chico's FAS. Inc.
In a May interview, Steve & Barry's co-founder and co-Chief Executive Barry Prevor, said he is interested in any mall anchor spots that might open up as a result of industry consolidation, which recently has touched such retailers as Sears, Macy's and Marshall Field's.
Mall developers, he noted, have become more open-minded about what constitutes an anchor tenant in light of mergers that are making department stores more homogeneous.
"If a mall has four department store anchor spots, and one goes vacant, then years ago mall management would have thought, `Get another department store.' Now, they say, `We have three department stores selling the same brands at the same prices. What would be the point of bringing in an identical department store?'" Prevor told the Tribune.
"So they look for alternative uses. This has been one of the great drivers behind our growth," he said.
Steve & Barry's has 87 stores in 27 states and plans to open another 40 stores by year-end.
In June 2004, it opened one in Westfield Chicago Ridge mall in Chicago Ridge, followed in October 2004 by a location in North Riverside Park Mall in North Riverside.
The retailer has plans to open more stores across the area, including outlets at Westfield Fox Valley in Aurora, Randhurst Mall in Mt. Prospect, Westfield Louis Joliet in Joliet, University Mall in Carbondale and in Springhill Mall in West Dundee.
Amy and I checked out the new store shortly after they opened. While the merchandise was somewhat appealing (mainly for price), the store itself looked like the new tenants had done nothing to remodel the space. Thus indicating that this is probably not a long-term solution for Old Orchard. But we'll see.
The addition of Steve & Barry's will help The Promenade section of Old Orchard not seem so dead, but I'm not quite sure that it fits the image that the mall is trying to portray. Then again, Westfield has already done a pretty good job making the mall more crappy, so anything goes these days.
Posted by Tannerman at 12:26 AM | Comments (0)
October 13, 2005
Now Open: Forth & Towne
We explored the new Forth & Towne store at Old Orchard last night. This is one of five prototypes across the U.S. (4 of which are in Chicago). The store opened on August 31. As speculated, the store is two floors.
It's definitely a different feeling when compared to Gap's other stores. This one feels more like a department store. Very lush decor, almost retro in nature... harkens back to the comfy shopping experiences of old. A large staircase welcomes you to the second floor. Vast changing rooms take up a large circular space on both the first and second floors.
This store is obviously marketed at the same demographic as Talbots... older or professional women. Paul Pressler and friends have launched a couple of brands to support this approach.
Those include:
Allegory
Features suiting with a distinctly feminine touch and classic pieces with modern elegance.
Gap Edition
Inspired by the nostalgia of Gap - fresh, casual, American style with a more mature fit.
Prize
Celebrates fun, wearable trends with flattering silhouettes, flirty fabrics, and stylish cuts.
Vocabulary
Offers comfort and graceful femininity with rich knits and pants accentuated with prints and jewelry.
Overall, nifty looking place. Clothes were rather pricey, but that was to be expected. Impressive store design. I liked the approach they tried to take there. That said, it seemed like there really wasn't a whole lot of stuff "in" the square footage they had. Probably an intentional move, but felt more empty in the end. Then again, it's just not my demographic, I guess.
Posted by Tannerman at 10:53 AM
Now Open: Ethel's Chocolate Lounge
Earlier in the summer, the Gloria Jeans location at Old Orchard closed up shop, to be replaced by a new concept from Mars, Inc. called Ethel's Chocolate Lounge. Well, that new store is now open.
Amy and I checked it out last night. It's much different than our old coffee hangout. First off, much more upscale in nature. For example, 4 small, dinky pieces of chocolate were $6! Are you kidding me? There were couches, tables, and a lot of retro-60s styling. The guy at the counter asked if we had ever been there before, which of course we hadn't. He gave us a little brochure thingy that showed all their flavors, broken down into 5 categories utilizing 3 different types of chocolate... Dark (d), Milk (m), and White (w):
Cocktail
Etheltini (d)
Yum Run (d)
Perfecto Mojito (m)
Champagne Cocktail (m)
Lemon Drop (d)
Chocolapolitan (d)
Mucha Margarita (m)
Classic Cabernet (d)
Truffle
Honey Truffle (d)
Milk Chocolate Truffle (m)
Dark Chocolate Truffle (d)
Espresso Truffle (d)
Pina Colada Truffle (w)
Mint Truffle (d)
Pistachio Truffle (d)
Earl Grey Tea Truffle (m)
Cinnamon Truffle (d)
Ginger Citrus Truffle (m)
Vanilla Truffle (w)
Nut and Caramel
Creamy Caramel (d)
Chewy Caramel (m)
Creamy Caramel (m)
Chewy Caramel (d)
Almond Crunch (d)
Macadamia Crunch (m)
Macadamia Crunch (d)
Pecan Caramel Crunch (m)
Pecan Toffee Crisp (m)
Almond Toffee Crisp (m)
Macadamia Toffee Crisp (m)
Fruit
Coco-Mango Tango (d)
Lemon Merengue (d)
Strawberry Sonata (m)
Banana Bop (d)
Raspberry Rhapsody (m)
Key Lime Limbo (d)
Orange Groove (d)
Coconut Samba (d)
Passion Rumba (m)
Raspberry Peach Fusion (m)
American Pop
Turtlicious (m)
Refresh Mint (d)
Peanut Better (m)
Cinna-swirl (m)
Crispy (m)
Circus Peanut (m)
Miss American Pie (m)
PB&J (m)
You have to love the creative writing that went into this brochure. For example:
here, among the truffles and cocktails, the nuts and caramels, the fruits and familiar favorites, you'll find one very rare and extraordinary ingredient common to every piece of ethel's chocolate: 100% pure chocolate passion. You can see it in the exquisite finish, detect it in the heady aroma, and taste it in every sumptuous and silky, warm-blended bite. We believe you will enjoy these premium chocolates as much as we enjoy making them for you. You love chocolate. We're here to help. Have a chocolate day.
Amy and I didn't actually buy anything during our first visit. I might consider trying their hot chocolate when the weather gets warmer (that should probably only run me like $10 a cup, right?).
Overall, interesting concept. Might work with the rich folks on the North Shore. But I'm not sure the everyman would give it a second look.
Posted by Tannerman at 10:05 AM
Now Open: Sisley
Back in June the construction walls first went up for Sisley. Well, the store is now open down in The Garden. Enjoy!
Posted by Tannerman at 09:00 AM
July 21, 2005
Now Open: NikeWomen
The NikeWomen store is now open, as promised by the construction walls we saw back in April. I'd like to say that it looks really innovative and unique... but it doesn't. Looks like your minimalist-decorated sporting goods store... much like the new Foot Locker.
Posted by Tannerman at 02:35 PM
Now Open: Foot Locker
The new Foot Locker located over in The Vineyard is now open, next to the new PacSun. Combined, both of these stores replace the old Record Town/Sunday Matinee which was vacated earlier this year.
Posted by Tannerman at 12:24 PM
June 29, 2005
Now Open: Tiger Lily Boutique
It's not often that you can report on a store actually OPENING in The Promenade section of Old Orchard. That area is full of vacant stores for some reason. It's often used by management to hold seasonal locations or temporary stores when the there is a remodel. Recently we noticed the Tiger Lily Boutique which opened across from the children's play area (near Bloomingdale's).
It appears it's a clothing chain that is based out of Madison, WI, as evidenced by various bags they had displayed in the windows with other location addresses. They haven't done much to renovate the store, so I have to wonder if this is also a short-term lease. The space in question has been vacant for well over a year. The clothing looks like it would be targeted more at junior high, high school, and maybe college age. I'm not fashion expert, so don't quote me on that. The fact that there were actually people INSIDE the store shopping was a good sign.
Posted by Tannerman at 06:17 PM
Now Open (again): Sunglass Hut
Remember back in May when we asked the question, "Why are there 2 Sunglass Huts?" At the time, there was a stand-alone location on the north side of Pear Lane and a Sunglass Hut/Watch Station combination store on the south side of Pear Lane. We witnessed the stand-alone location being demolished.
Well, it looks like that location was actually undergoing a renovation rather than a removal. The next day a white construction wall was put up. A few days later, there was a sign noting that the store was "Closed for Remodel". Then, shortly after that, the store was reopened as Sunglass Hut once again. And frankly, the front of the store looks very similar to the old store. Maybe the interior is different; I can't really tell. At the time of demolition, it looked like they were ripping everything apart, so I'm impressed with how quickly the store reopened.
Posted by Tannerman at 06:05 PM
Now Open: Lacoste
The Croc has ripped through those temporary barricades and opened! It's situated in a pretty cozy location in The Garden (next to the new Rogers & Hollands, maybe even in their old location), one of my more favorite "off the main path" parts of Old Orchard. Hopefully this tucked-away location will provide them enough food traffic to succeed.
Posted by Tannerman at 04:13 PM
Now Open: Landau
It's time for an update on the fake jewelry folks at Landau. Their new store is now open on the corner of Pear Lane and Fountain Court, located right next to Clarks, a shoe retailer. The store seems, well, out of place if you ask me. I also think they aren't taking advantage of their window space very well. Perhaps that will change as they get operations going. We'll see. With Clarks and Landau open, there is only one more store on this corner that needs to shed the construction walls: H2O Plus.
Posted by Tannerman at 04:07 PM
Now Open: Liberty Travel
The construction walls are gone! Liberty Travel recently opened up their new story, located on Hawthorne Way. Frankly, it's a bland looking store that doesn't seem to have much design or class at all. It sort of looks like a Kinko's or UPS Store, as a matter of fact. Probably the only redeeming quality of the location is that there was a Disneyland 50th Anniversary poster in the window when we walked by. It's situated right next to Potbelly's and the movie theatre... I wouldn't think a very prime location for a travel agency. Go figure.
Posted by Tannerman at 03:59 PM