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Cynthia Rowley Packs Up Bucktown Boutique After 8 Years on Damen Avenue

By Alisa Hauser | June 30, 2015 9:46am
 Cynthia Riley boutique is moving out of 1653 N. Damen Ave.
Cynthia Riley boutique is moving out of 1653 N. Damen Ave.
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DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser

WICKER PARK —  After eight years on a changing stretch of Damen Avenue, designer Cynthia Rowley has packed up her boutique and will be moving elsewhere in the city, though no spot has been confirmed yet, a spokeswoman for the brand said on Monday.

Rowley's boutique at 1653 N. Damen Ave., just north of the Milwaukee, North and Damen Avenue intersection in an area that is technically Wicker Park but many refer to as Bucktown, opened in 2007.  The store closed for business on Monday.

A new tenant is already set to move into the spot, according to real estate sources.

The two-story vintage building, built in 1913, is owned by Grace Sergio of Sergio and Banks Realty and Bart Przjemski, according to county records.

Sergio was not immediately available for comment on Tuesday.

In addition to Chicago, Rowley's global lifestyle brand is sold at collection boutiques in New York, Charleston, Boston, as well as in department, specialty, and online stores worldwide, according to its website.

Over the last three years, many longtime Damen Avenue shops have been replaced by larger chains.

At 1630 N. Damen Ave., children's boutique Psychobaby relocated to Division Street, replaced by an Asics shoe store, while Riley Boutique at 1659 N. Damen Ave. shuttered in 2013. Riley was replaced by New York City-based clothing designer Steve Alan, who selected Damen Avenue for his first Midwest store.

Another independently owned shop, Stitch at 1723 N. Damen Ave., relocated to 1937 N. Damen Ave. in 2014 and was replaced by Peek Kids, a children's clothing chain based in San Francisco.

In January,  Close Minded at 1732 N. Damen Ave., founded in 1972, closed after its owner retired.  Clothes Minded was replaced by Vintage Charm, a small boutique chain based in LaGrange.

Other chain retailers on the street include Lululemon, Marc by Marc Jacobs, and two outdoor apparel shops, Stio, which opened earlier this month, and Swedish-based bag and parka maker Fjallraven.

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