WICKER PARK — Rudy's Roundup, a modern day general store full of vintage and new treasures and known for its creative window displays, is exiting the neighborhood, leaving loyal fans devastated.
"I'm crying," said Leah Root, a Wicker Park resident who spotted a closing sign in the window on Friday morning.
Root said the general store at 1410 N. Milwaukee Ave. "embodies everything that is great and fun about Wicker Park."
Her favorite store, Rudy's might be the closest thing Wicker Park has to its own version of the recently shuttered Uncle Fun in Lakeview.
The shop is planning to relocate to Austin, Texas.
"This will be a tremendous loss to Chicago. However, Chicago's loss is Austin's gain. Wishing you much happiness and success there," wrote a fan on the shop's Facebook page.
Owner Brooke Timm, who opened the shop in 2009, already lives in Austin and is hoping to reopen Rudy's somewhere there, said a worker who answered the phone at the store on Friday.
Over the years, Rudy's Roundup has delighted shoppers with an eclectic array of wares, everything from rubber chicken purses to Pac-Man coffee mugs and vintage aprons, to name a few items.
Timm could not be reached for comment.
Rudy's, named for one of Timm's dogs, is in the ground level of an 1880s-era building next to The Savoy, which closed last month.
Blogger Rachel Dickens said of Rudy's, "If Wicker Park were a bizarre, vintage gift shop, it would be Rudy’s Roundup. This place embodies the quirky charm of the neighborhood in a way words won’t justify, from their selection of pithy greeting cards to a brand of soap products called “Cleaner than S---.”
A closing sale offering up to 30 percent off is in effect through the end of August, according to the shop's Facebook page, which says, "We are happy to have shared the past 5 plus years with such wonderful local artists and customers."
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
