WEST LOOP — Inspired by their own travels and favorite things, a pair of Ukrainian Village residents is bringing their lifestyle to the masses with the opening of new indie shop Rider this week.
In a move that combines their artistic talents, close friends Lauren McGrady and Tom Gavin opened the lifestyle retail shop at 1115 W. Lake St. in the West Loop Tuesday. The 2,000-square-foot space, previously occupied by neighboring wholesaler Westlake Bath & Kitchen, stocks a curated collection of goods, including womenswear, menswear, furniture, art, jewelry, apothecary and cosmetics, McGrady said at the shop this week.
The journey to open Rider has been three years in the making. Before getting the itch to strike out on her own, McGrady, who holds a degree in fashion, previously managed menswear store Apartment Number 9 and most recently worked for a local seafood distributor.
When plans to open the shop with family didn't pan out, McGrady immediately thought to partner with close friend Gavin, vocalist and guitarist of band Gemini Club, whom she met 10 years earlier at Columbia College. When McGrady floated the idea, Gemini Club was fresh off rocking Lollapalooza in 2014, but Gavin was game to partner on the project.
Items for sale at Rider include a vintage sofa reupholstered with synthetic shearling and leather hides ($5,800). [Tod James]
"Both of us are collectors. And these are the things that we found that we love and we want to share with the world," said Gavin, former creative director of men's boutique Haberdash, who also moonlights as a photographer, a hobby he picked up while touring with his band.
Nearly everything is for sale in the shop, including artwork, furniture and lighting fixtures, McGrady said. Other items for sale include The Paper Cub greeting cards ($5); Wary Meyers soap and candles from Maine ($15-30); baby alpaca knit hats designed by McGrady and handmade in Bolivia ($80); Fine & Candy handmade leather journals the pair picked up during a trek to Portugal ($120); a collection of intimates from Estonia; an 1817 vintage Derby sterling silver flask ($300); a reworked vintage sofa reupholstered with synthetic shearling and leather hides ($5,800); and a $10,000, three-panel large-scale painting by artist Raymond Yeager.
Items for sale at Rider. [Tod James]
Always on the hunt for new designers and artists to add to Rider's inventory, the opening collection also includes modern furniture from St. Louis and jewelry from New York.
One of their most inventive finds? McGrady and Gavin commissioned Chicago manicurist AstroWifey to create graphic nail art on the claws of a pair of taxidermied raccoon paws ($600).
McGrady said she hopes the new shop helps Chicagoans find the luxury in everyday items.
"You don't have to find luxury in an $80,000 sports car. I find it in a luxurious hand cream, the best toothpaste, my favorite socks. There are mainstays that have been a part of my life for a long time," McGrady said. "Just living life — that's how we started collecting things. And the things turn into experiences ... and ours turned into a store."
[Tod James]
Sandwiched in between the neighborhood's destination restaurants and warehouses, more and more retailers are beginning to call the West Loop home. Rider joins a number of other stores who have opened in the West Loop in 2015, including custom suit shop BLVDier, luxury retailer Billy Reid, and Kit + Ace.
To celebrate the boutique's opening, McGrady and Gavin will host a grand opening party from 6-8 p.m. Jan. 7.
Rider is open 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sunday. The shop will be open on Christmas Eve until 5 p.m. to accomodate last-minute shoppers.
Close friends and Ukrainian Village residents Lauren McGrady and Tom Gavin opened lifestyle retail shop Rider at 1115 W. Lake St. in the West Loop Tuesday. [Rider]
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