WICKER PARK — Flight 001, a shop specializing in travel bags and accessories, is planning to open Friday within a luggage tag's toss of the CTA Blue Line Damen "L" station and around the corner from the Northwest Tower, which is being converted into a boutique hotel.
Described in a sign as "the Jetsetter's source for luggage, in-flight essentials, travel tech and more," the New York City-based chain will be replacing a shuttered eyeglass store at 1616 N. Damen Ave., just north of Wicker Park's Milwaukee, Damen and North Avenue intersection, along a stretch of street to which both Wicker Park and Bucktown lay claim.
Flight 001 has six other spots in the United States and several more in Asia. The specialty retailer offers bags of various sizes, TSA-approved bottles, passport covers, maps, books, gadgets and more.
On Wednesday, a spokesman for Flight 001 said the Wicker Park and Bucktown area was selected for its "cool hip entertainment district" status and because the 10-year lease on Flight 001's original Chicago location at 1133 N. State St. in the Gold Coast had run out and it was time to seek a new spot.
The company was started in 1999 by two business travelers who met on a flight to Paris and had a "mid-air epiphany" that resulted in the creation of a store that puts "the fun back in travel." Flight 001 is also the retail anchor for a youth hostel, IHSP Chicago, which operates above the storefront.
Flight 001, 1616 North Damen Ave. Hours are 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays. Phone: 312-944-1001.
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