LAKEVIEW — A sprawling store on Lincoln Avenue that offered psychotherapy, an art gallery, classes and inspirational products will be shuttering all services but therapy this fall.
Psychologist Dr. Julia Rahn opened Flourish Studios, 3020 N. Lincoln Ave., six years ago with a "very Oprah-esque" idea — if she opened a welcoming storefront with positive merchandise, people would be more willing to go to therapy there, too, she said.
"That, I can happily say, is exactly what happened," she said.
But after crunching the numbers this year, Rahn decided that the retail and class portion was no longer worth the expense. People were not showing up to classes, which ranged from music lessons to business development, and Lincoln Avenue's foot traffic did not bring enough people in to the retail portion, which spans much of the block between Wellington and Barry.
The retail store will be shuttering in October. All items — from children's books to furniture — are 25 percent off in a store closing sale.
The therapy portion of Flourish, however, is still thriving. Rahn plans on moving the clinical portion of the Flourish to another location in Lakeview.
Flourish therapists focus on everything from family and couples therapy to individual dealing with depression.
"That's what I've been doing for 25 years," Rahn said. "I'm going to go back to what we do best. We’re still taking clients as we speak."
She still believes that there's retail out there that can help improve people's lives. Instead of buying from her, she'll be putting together a list on the Flourish website so that therapy clients can buy the products such as educational books for kids on Amazon.
"It all came from the idea that as a psychologist," Rahn said. "I help people improve their lives on this planet."
