Business & Tech

High Rent Pushes Out Long-Standing Bucktown Boutique

A local clothing store that has been on Damen Avenue for ten years and in existence for 20 will close its doors at the end of May. The owner says she can't afford her new landlord's increased rent, but knows it's not the end for her bouti

A local boutique that's been a Bucktown fixture for more than a decade is closing its doors at the end of May, thanks to a new landlord and doubled rent.

Riley., 1659 North Damen Ave., is known for its contemporary clothing with a "modern bent" from French Connection, Ted Baker and Akiko for women, and many others.

The store will be no more as of May 31 when its lease runs out, its owner says. The expiration date comes with an opportunity to re-sign at more than double the annual rent. But unfortunately, that doesn't fit into Riley's business model.

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"I would stay here, in this spot, for the rest of my life if I could," said owner Stephanie Riley-McKenna. "It's happening everywhere. The big guys are coming in and the little guys are getting pushed out. … I don't want to say anything bad about my landlord, or anyone, for that matter. He's cordial. He's a very nice man. This is business and business happens all the time."

She broke the news via e-mail to her customers on Monday, she said. Merchandise markdowns started this week.

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The quaint store's city roots have been growing for 20 years. Riley-McKenna—originally from Detroit—opened Daffodil Hill in 1993 at Clark and School streets in Lake View after graduating from business school at DePaul University. She and her business partner expanded by adding an Evanston branch which outlived the Lake View one when she and her co-owner later parted ways. 

The venture moved to Bucktown in 2003, where it has been a staple ever since. Though it was coined Daffodill Hill for part of that time, Riley-McKenna changed the name to "Riley." as an ode to her father, a retired news reporter.

The store's signage features punctuation and a typewriter font. Her father's black and white scripts adorn a back wall. That's not the end of the family affair, though. Silver Cloud Bar & Grill—located just across the street—is owned by Riley-McKenna's sister. 

"That part I am going to miss; working across the street from my sister," she said, elaborating on an earlier declaration that she followed her to Chicago from Detroit. " … I fell in love with the city the first day I came."

It took Riley-McKenna five years to pinpoint the perfect Bucktown space—a 1,500-square-foot storefront just north of the community's busiest intersection. She's been looking for another vacant space, she said, but hasn't found the right one yet. Many desired locations are charging $65 to $70 a square foot to rent, she said.

If she fell in love with a storefront in her budget tomorrow, she'd snag it, she says. But she doesn't see that happening.

"I don't know where is right for us," Riley-McKenna said. "At this point, it's like, if I find the right space, I find the right space. If I take a little bit of time off, that's fine. I think everything happens for a reason and I refuse to be sad about it. I'm not going to be like, 'Woe is me.'"

Customers with long faces have visited her over the past couple days to share their own grief. Part of that reaction comes from the community she's built within her store.

"I'm one of those retailers—I love what I do. I love my customers," she said. "It's awesome to see the support because I've devoted my life to this business. But I have to be honest with you, I don't think this is it for us."

Meanwhile, Riley-McKenna has other plans—enjoying being a newlywed and relishing her Saturdays off, she said. 

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