HYDE PARK — Belle Up, a maternity and women's clothing retailer, plans to close its Hyde Park store March 26.
Owner Jamenda McCoy, of Beverly, opened the pop-up store at 1504 E. 53rd St. in April. The expansion was part of a partnership with the University of Chicago, which had been working to reinvigorate the 53rd Street commercial corridor.
Four months after expanding into Hyde Park, the shop also known as BU opened within The Shops at North Bridge. The 2,000-square-foot store debuted on the third floor of the shopping mall fronted by Nordstrom at 520 N. Michigan Ave.
McCoy, a former Hyde Park resident, said Wednesday the two stores ended up competing with each other. She added that all employees will keep their jobs, transferring to either the Beverly or Magnificent Mile locations.
"Because the stores are pretty close in proximity, the data began to show that our core customer in Hyde Park is just as likely to shop downtown at the Michigan Avenue location,” McCoy said.
McCoy founded Belle Up in Mount Greenwood in 2009. The store added nonmaternity clothes in summer 2013 and moved in December 2014 to the small yet busy shopping district near the 103rd Street Metra station in Beverly.
Meanwhile, the Hyde Park store has begun liquidating its inventory, offering 40 percent off everything.
“We loved the vibe in Hyde Park. The community and the university have been really good to us. But in the end, the two stores seemed to, in essence, be competing,” McCoy said.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
