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The Red Balloon Co. Closing Andersonville Spot In June

By Linze Rice | May 19, 2015 2:58pm
 The Red Balloon, Co., at 5407 N. Clark St. in Andersonville, will be closing shop June 7 and merging with its Southport Cooridor location, 3651 N. Southport Ave., that opened in February due to a demand for more space, said owner Jennifer Pope.
The Red Balloon, Co., at 5407 N. Clark St. in Andersonville, will be closing shop June 7 and merging with its Southport Cooridor location, 3651 N. Southport Ave., that opened in February due to a demand for more space, said owner Jennifer Pope.
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DNAinfo/The Red Balloon Co.

ANDERSONVILLE — It's been 10 long, but fruitful years of business for Jennifer Pope, owner of kid-friendly retailer The Red Balloon, Co., at its 5407 N. Clark St. location in Andersonville. 

But, just as many of Pope's newborn and toddler clients eventually get too big for their youthful threads, so did Red Balloon of its tiny, 800-square-foot space. 

"We've been there 10 years, and I love Andersonville, but the store there is really small," Pope said. "We were just outgrowing it. I mean we have people with strollers and you can't get a double stroller in there."

Yet frequent shoppers of Red Balloon needn't worry, Pope says that although the Clark Street shop's doors will officially close June 7, the 1,600-square-foot space at 3651 N. Southport Ave. — which opened in February — is ready to welcome new and old customers alike. The retailer also has a Bucktown shop at 1940 N. Damen Ave. 

"We'd looked at Southport as a location we were interested in 10 years ago, so when an opportunity came ... it was just kind of too good to pass up," she said. "It was time to expand into older ages on the North Side, so that was kind of our end game — that it was time to move into a bigger space and showcase everything properly."

Pope, who lives in Andersonville, said she's enjoyed every aspect of opening and growing her business in the neighborhood and hopes other children's retailers will continue to thrive. 

So far, Pope said customers have been positive about the impending closing, but noted that in 2012 when her flagship Bucktown store moved down the street from 2060 to 1940 N. Damen, some customers complained they hadn't been warned. 

"Any time there's change I think there's a certain amount of concern, like, 'Where is it?,'" Pope laughed. "We had the same thing when we moved just three blocks on Damen. We'll have people come in three years later and say, 'No one told me you moved!' We expect there will be some of that ... but for us we literally just needed more space."

This time, she said with several close-out sales — including a "Vulture Sale" May 28-31 and the store's final Warehouse Sale from June 4-7 — she thinks most of her customers will catch on.

During the Vulture Sale, she said, items like store decorations, lamps, artwork and display pieces will all be up for grabs in order to help empty the shop. 

The last day of regular retail shopping for The Red Balloon will be the weekend of May 23-24 at the Andersonville location. 

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