WICKER PARK — Two independently-owned boutiques on Damen Avenue, along a stretch of street that both Wicker Park and Bucktown lay claim, are shuttering after more than 10 years.
Helen Yi, 1725 N. Damen Ave., will be closing at the end of February, according to longtime employee Ashley Jimenez.
Jimenez, 24, has been working at the luxury boutique for six years.
"It's bittersweet. I'm excited to see what is coming next for her," said Jimenez of Helen Yi, the West Loop-based trend setter whose name has graced her store since it opened 12 years ago.
Helen Yi's shop is advertising steep savings for a going-out-of-business sale. A sparkly pair of Manolo Blahnik pumps are just $350 while designs from Barbara Bui, Derek Lam and Crippen are all 60 percent off.
According to the boutique's Facebook page , Yi "has been itching to pursue the next big thing" and is planning another business venture.
Meanwhile, the 1,100-square-foot storefront is for rent, according to a listing.
On Thursday, Realtor Janika Brenner from Baum Realty said "We are far along with having found a tenant for the storefront and are in negotiation with a couple of potential renters."
Brenner declined to say who could be next to fill the spot but hinted at a few "high end national and international brands" in the apparel arena.
The past few years have seen an exodus of local, independently-owned shops either closing permanently or relocating elsewhere.
"Damen continues to be a very strong retail market; there was a lot of interest in that space because it is the only really smaller spot on Damen. Most are over 2,000 square-feet," Brenner said.
Just south of Helen Yi, another shop, Belly Dance, a trendy maternity boutique at 1647 N. Damen Ave. has closed after a 13-year run and is currently open only to sell off the remaining shelves, fixtures and mannequins.
"It is hard to say goodbye. It's been a good run but it is time," said Jennifer Strom Simonte, a New York resident who opened the shop in 2002 when she was living in Lincoln Park.
In addition to the Damen Avenue shop, Strom Simonte has also closed her New York store, shut down her website and discontinued production of her NOM clothing line, which she started in 2006 and had been selling to Nordstrom as a wholesaler.
"Overall it was an emotional decision," she said, but added that it was "the right time for this to be done."
"I wanted to go out in a way that felt right to me," she said.
Strom Simonte cited several factors that prompted the company's closure, such as her New York store lease expiring and "multiple factors" in Chicago.
"The climate of the neighborhood has changed. It's a different place to be than when I opened. The maternity industry has changed a lot as well. Maternity clothing is to some extent a luxury good," said Strom Simonte.
Most of the Belly Dance Maternity team had been with Strom Simonte for more than 10 years and at least 10 people will be laid off, she said.
Reached early Friday, the building's landlord, Joseph Dushey whe asked if he has a new tenant in the works, replied, "There is plenty of interest in the space from multiple retailers but no deal is signed as of this moment."
Dushey's New York City-based firm, Jenel Management, also owns several other buildings in the 1600 block of North Damen that are rented by Steve Alan, Asics, Scotch and Soda, Marine Layer and Goddess and Grocer.
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