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Parisian Jewelry Shop Adds Touch of Class Among State Street Big Box Stores

 Les Nereides manager Audery Olenick shows off a necklace at the l Street store.
Les Nereides manager Audery Olenick shows off a necklace at the l Street store.
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DNAinfo/ Mark Konkol

THE LOOP — Walking down State Street — Chicago’s “great street,” as Sinatra famously called it — has more in common with doing laps at a suburban shopping mall than I’d like to admit.

There’s a spot where you can get cheap t-shirts (Old Navy), a new blender (Target), your sister’s favorite eye cream (Sephora), a sweater for mom (Macy’s) and a sack of Chicago-style popcorn all within a short walk.

But last week, a popular Parisian jewelry store better suited among the posh boutiques on Oak or Rush streets popped up on Block 37 across from Macy’s — adding a rare touch of class to Chicago’s urban big-box retail shopping strip.

Les Nereides — which is named after sea nymph daughters of Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea in Greek mythology — first opened in the French Riviera in 1980 and has expanded to about 40 locations around the world. The boutique at 108 N. State St. is the brand’s first American outpost.

“I think we’re out of place, but in a good way, because over here it’s something special. People stop to look in the window and come in and see something they don’t expect on State Street,” shop manager Audrey Olenick said.

“It’s different, a good surprise. You really don’t see a lot of jewelry boutiques like this in America.”

Founded by Pascale and Enzo Ammaddeo, a husband-and-wife design team, the quirky jewelry store specializes in handmade costume jewelry inspired by fairy tales, romantic scenes, oceanic imagery and bizarre anime characters — earrings with three-eyed cotton candy and donut-dinosaur hybrid characters, for instance — that are all the rage in Asia.

For instance, Alice in Wonderland-themed earrings will cost you about $75, and you can get a jellyfish charm that shimmers in the dark on a long necklace for about $250.

Now, I probably wouldn’t have found the place if it wasn’t for Olenick, the former co-owner of the now-closed punk-rock hair salon Strange Beauty Show in Wicker Park, who invited me to check it out.

 Les Nereides — which is named after sea nymph daughters of Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea in Greek mythology — first opened in the French Rivera in 1980 and has expanded to about 40 locations around the world. The State Street boutique is the brand’s first American outpost.
Les Nereides
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“We’re trying to class up State Street,” she said.

Everything about the Les Nereides boutique — from the custom paint and flowery wallpaper to the window displays and silky jewelry pouches that come with every purchase — is exactly the same as the chain’s flagship shop in Paris.

“Soon, we’ll even have an espresso machine like they have in Paris for customers — and their husbands waiting while their wives shop,” Olenick said.

“It’s all about the experience and it’s fun. I get to make suggestions and help women feel pretty by putting fun jewelry on them. It’s like playing dress up all day.”

What stands out the most about Les Nereides is the intricate window displays designed for a brand of window shopping that’s popular in Paris.

Olenick said the Ammaddeos picked Chicago for their first American location over places like New York City and Miami, where the owners live, partly due to Chicago’s 20-year sister city relationship with Paris.

And even though the quaint boutique might not quite fit in with the current State Street shopping vibe, Olenick said she expects that to change as The Loop becomes increasingly residential.  

“The mall at Block 37 is trying to get some nicer stores, there’s plans for a movie theater. They’re building new residential apartments in the tower. It kind of feels like Wicker Park nine years ago when we opened the salon there … like things are only going to get better,” she said.

“And we hope to influence some nicer stores like the ones on Michigan Avenue to join us and open up around here,” she added.

 

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