LOGAN SQUARE — Meyvn, a high-end men's clothing store across from the Logan Square Blue Line, has called it quits after a little more than 3 years.
The shop, 2627 N. Kedzie Ave., which sold an array of designer men's clothing, as well as furniture and personal care products, closed earlier this week after throwing a blowout closing sale last weekend, according to co-owner Noah Zagor.
Zagor, who ran the shop with his business partner Tony Kim since March of 2014, said the closure "wasn't really about money trouble" — at least not in an immediate sense.
"We weren't really in trouble, but we could see how things were shifting and it could lead that way," Zagor said. "We'd rather step away while we were still doing well."
Shoppers have been increasingly turning to the Internet to research products before they make a purchase, and only choosing to shop in a physical store for the "experience," according to Zagor.
"It's not so much that people are shopping online. It's that so much information is online," he said. "It was impossible to support the most esoteric parts of the business."
Zagor pointed to major men's clothing retailers like J. Crew, Steven Alan and Union Made as brands that have been forced to scale back in recent years due to the changing retail landscape.
Just a handful of products are currently available on Meyvn's website after last weekend's successful sale. Zagor and his partner are planning to shut down the entire operation and fully move out by July 31.
Before opening Meyvn, Zagor held various gigs in the men's fashion industry over the course of 15 years in both New York and Chicago, including creative director for Haberdash, which has a "lifestyle" feel, offering espresso drinks and shaves in addition to designer clothing.
Meyvn sold everything from $200 Monsoir Lacenaire shirts to $450 Common Projects sneakers, as well as indie fashion magazines and books and apothecary products.
Despite the high price point and "esoteric" appeal of the shop, Zagor said it was able to establish a loyal customer base over the course of 3 years. The shop was named the "Best Boutique for Men" in the Reader's 2017 poll and was featured in magazines like GQ.
Zagor declined to say whether the store was making a profit.
When asked if the rent had increased, Zagor expressly said no, insisting their landlord "was more than fair" and "willing to work with [them] on everything."
"It was a project that was never meant to last forever. We made it flexible within a certain framework, but the framework was shifting, and our model was no longer the proper model. I didn't think it was right to switch the model of Meyvn," he said.
Zagor said he's grateful he and his partner were able to achieve their goal of fostering conversations — not just around clothing and lifestyle brands, but also around politics and social change.
"I think that exchange was really special. The neighborhood definitely fostered that, and we were grateful for that more than anything else," he said.
