GOLD COAST — Tessuti for Men, a luxury clothier, is hanging it up after 36 years on Oak Street.
The last of the store's wares were packed and moved on Friday after a clearance sale this week. When asked why he was shutting down his shop, Tessuti Owner Stuart Goldin simply said his time had come.
"It's just time. Time for an independent to leave Oak Street," Goldin said.
The store, which calls itself "Chicago's top spot for men's fashion," had operated for decades on one of the city's premier retail strips. But in recent years the small store at 50 E. Oak St. had found itself surrounded by international luxury brands including Dolce & Gabbana, Christian Louboutin and Tom Ford.
Goldin declined to elaborate on his motive for closing. Cook County property records show the store's building is owned by Chicago-based investor Donald Geller, who did not return messages seeking comment. When asked, Goldin said his "landlord's wonderful."
Neighboring retailers sharing the building believed Geller had signed a new tenant to lease the Tessuti space, but they did not know who that retailer is or when it would move in.
The closing is not a retirement for Goldin, who said he's been selling men's clothes for 50 years. He hopes to open a new store "in a couple months." But not on Oak Street.
"Between age and wisdom I’ve found an awful lot, and try to bring the customers something they want," Goldin said. "I've met the nicest people on this street."
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