THE CHICAGO IL REAL ESTATE MARKET, AND OTHER THINGS CHICAGO, FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF A LITTLE WHITE DOG!
I'm filling in for Buddy tonight, as he won't be home until very late. He's coming back from a Team Building Workshop for Keller Williams Top Dogs in Lafayette IN - just got his text message from the road, asking me to handle his posting duties tonight.
So tonight, it's lady's choice - and my topic tonight: fashion!
Actually, a bit of a sad note for we Canine Fashionistas, who frequent those little Trendy Boutiques in well-to-do Chicago Neighborhoods like Lincoln Park, and Wrigleyville.
As the recession here in Chicago has deepened, and well-heeled high fashion buyers here in the city begin to pinch their pennies tighter, several of those trendy boutiques you may have seen - and shopped at - over on Southport Avenue, or Oak Street, or Armitage Avenue - have seen their business fall to critical levels. Many have closed!
As reported in today's Chicago Tribune by Reporter Sandra M. Jones, some shops, including the high-style Ciao Bella on Southport Avenue near Wrigley Field, used to be a place where baseball players wives shopped frequently each summer, while their wealthy husbands were challenged by that little white ball just a few blocks to the east.
Today, however, the shop's owner, Amy Lechelt-Basta, is closing for good this Sunday, after having to discount her merchandise to the bone to even draw customers.
In the tony Lincoln Park Neighborhood of Chicago, about two miles south of the Southport Shopping District, about two dozen small shops have gone out of business on trendy Armitage Avenue, between Halsted and Racine Streets, over the last couple of years including Moonlight Graham, Fresh or Faux, and Entendre Couture. Some are now far-less-trendy resale shops.
Several years ago these Chicago Neighborhoods were adding to our city's allure as a fashion destination. Now, with many of the shops gone or closing, due to a weak economy, the seeds of Fashion Chicago may have been put back in the seed package, at least for a while.
Today, some of the remaining stores have stayed alive by offering a few discount lines, and really enhancing their customer service. Some stores now deliver merchandise to their customers, or take shopping direction over the phone. Others are emphasizing their online businesses, laying in wait for the time when the economy improves, nearby condos and art galleries begin to fill once again, and high fashion shoppers will likely return.
But, for now, looks like I'll have to borrow at least some of my clothes from my Human Mommy Sue Moss. She does have some real cute looking outfits, you know - although her shoe size is a little bigger than my lil' paws!
Enjoy the weekend, you dogs! Buddy's back next week!
YOUR ACE REPORTER ON FOUR PAWS,
GRACIE ELLA MOSS & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO
(Filling in for Buddy Holly Moss this week!)
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