WICKER PARK — There will soon be two "Goddesses" across the street from each other on Damen Avenue.
The Green Goddess Boutique, which aims to sell socially conscious fashion, is scheduled to open its fourth Chicago-area location at 1648 N. Damen Ave. by the end of May.
The shop is in the former Burning Leaf Cigars storefront almost directly across from The Goddess and Grocer, which recently opened in its new home at 1649 N. Damen Ave. along the borders of Wicker Park and Bucktown.
Owner Elyce Rembos, who once worked as a fashion stylist in New York City before moving to the Chicago area, opened her first Green Goddess location in suburban Hinsdale in 2010 and since expanded to Lincoln Park at 1009 W. Armitage Ave. and Downtown at 900 N. Michigan Ave.
Rembos, who lives in Hinsdale, said she's focused primarily on curating a fashion-forward shop full of unique pieces in addition to running a business customers can feel good about spending their money on.
About 25 to 40 percent of each shop tends to include brands that either give a portion of the proceeds to a cause or who make their items with green or fair-trade materials, Rembos said.
"We definitely vary up our products in each location," Rembos said. "We carry lines that are not readily available in that area."
The shop carries clothes, jewelry, shoes, accessories, beauty products and home items at a wide range of price points. In the current selection online, for instance, tops go from about $34 to $395, and accessories range from $11.99 to $329.
"We have something for anyone," Green Goddess Boutique manager Ryan ONeill said.
Examples of designers and brands Rembos plans on carrying in the new store include Alex and Ani bangles, Vanessa Mooney Jewelry and Love Heals. The boutiques also generally carry Free People and Haute Hippie, among other brands.
Rembos said she hopes the store will be popular among Wicker Parkers who appreciate local businesses and are "interested in voting with their dollars."
Some of the boutique's profits go toward The Green Goddess Charitable Foundation, which in turn donates to various charity partners.
"We're all about shopping with a conscience," ONeill said.
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