WICKER PARK — A new men's boutique called Needs, which will offer high-end clothes and accessories crafted by European and local designers, is scheduled to open in the shuttered Rudy's Roundup storefront in Wicker Park.
"I am always trying to get men to dress nice, classy, how a man should dress," said Eric Williams, who plans be open Needs at 1410 N. Milwaukee Ave. around Thanksgiving.
For Williams, who also owns The Silver Room at 1442 N. Milwaukee Ave., the new venture just a few doors south of his existing shop will be a return to his roots, since he first operated The Silver Room out of the future Needs storefront.
"It was our original location — we were there from 1997 to 2005. I used to live upstairs," said the 44-year-old proprietor, who was 27 when he launched The Silver Room, a retail shop which sells jewelry and accessories as well as hosts art shows, a monthly Grown Folks Stories event and an annual block party.
When Rudy's Roundup, a shop packed with eclectic treasures, closed in August, Williams said he reached out to his previous landlord to see about renting the space again.
Williams said Needs will differentiate itself from the The Silver Room by being higher-end and offering a wider range of men's clothing as well as unique fitness-inspired accessories like an all-leather jump rope he found on a recent buying trip in Europe.
In addition to clothing, Needs will sell scarves, jewelry, hats and bags, as well as men's health and fitness magazines, Williams said.
Williams said Needs will feature clothes by several designers including Henrik Vibskov, a Netherlands-based fashion designer known for his avant-garde style who has boutiques in Copenhagen and New York City.
Locally, designer Ayrun Dismuke's showroom Misanthrope, which features brands such as Dismuke's own label, Misanthrope, will help to stock Needs shelves, too, Williams said.
Williams said a website is scheduled to be launched for Needs soon and, if all goes as planned, Needs will open just before the holiday shopping season.
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