New Levis Store in Wicker Park

[B-15C]

Thread Derail: Chicago Meetup]

It looks like people want to get together.

Just a quick post. When I got out of the shower this morning I saw this across the street from me. They've been working on the space for about three weeks now, but if you were wondering what they were doing over there, they've finally put up signs. The location is a little weird for a Levis store, because I don't think of Wicker Park as a touristy shopping destination, and I can't get the idea of a Levis store anywhere off of Michigan Ave through my head. They're flanked by a few vintage denim places, so what it is they're doing there is a mystery to me.

Well, probably making money. The neighborhood is quickly turning the corner. It will just be strange to see a Levis store sandwiched by art + science, across from Hejfina and down the street from what is probably much better shopping. What kind of Levis store this is is yet to be seen.

It would be cool if it turned out to be more similar to the strangely placed Levis stores internationally.

Normally, I wouldn't see the addition as worth mentioning, but it surprised me from across the street.

[poly800rock]

they opened a levi's store in providence place mall the last time i was up there.couldn't believe it took them 2 years after i left to open that place. needless to say, it will probably be out of business sooner than later. if they had to close the boston one (amazing) then no doubt will the providence one survive.

[concealed]

haha i hate that mall, but i was there with a couple people from my college, and i saw the levis store. so i went in and bought a pair! Providence is the suck for shopping

[brokenboards]

i'm not at all surprised by this. supposedly a louis vuitton store is taking over the copy place next to earwax. marc by marc jacobs is going to be underneath red pagoda on damen. intermix is landing soon too. i think swank frank & filter being bought out by a bank was a big indication of what is to come for wicker park. i guess i'd be alright with things becoming a bit more SoHo, but who knows.

[corned beef]

they just opened a levi's store in Evanston too. Carries a few LVC stuff, not a bad spot at all.

[isoform]

Wicker park is pretty bullshit right now anyway--but ok/good for shopping. It's not surprising or strange to me that Levis would put something there--if anything hopefully it'll be a concept store, maybe ppl who give a shit can bring Diesel in too, lmao. And like everyone else, I'm also tired of ppl complaining about what Wicker Park is "becoming"--it's been commercialized for, i'unno 5+ years now. I think the hilarious updates are Filter being replaced by a bank and Belmont Army Surplus on ... Milwaukee.

But, I'm genuinely shocked about a Marc Jacobs and LV store opening there. ...dang... why couldn't they just go to LP or NearNorth/River whatever? :/

[brokenboards]

Wicker park is pretty bullshit right now anyway--but ok/good for shopping. It's not surprising or strange to me that Levis would put something there--if anything hopefully it'll be a concept store, maybe ppl who give a shit can bring Diesel in too, lmao. And like everyone else, I'm also tired of ppl complaining about what Wicker Park is "becoming"--it's been commercialized for, i'unno 5+ years now. I think the hilarious updates are Filter being replaced by a bank and Belmont Army Surplus on ... Milwaukee.

But, I'm genuinely shocked about a Marc Jacobs and LV store opening there. ...dang... why couldn't they just go to LP or NearNorth/River whatever? :/

yeah i'm definiately not surprised by what's been going on in WP over the years. i think belmont army surplus opening an additional location is a wise move on there behalf. yeah if you want to laugh at the semantics of it, it seems kind of silly that the "belmont army surplus" is on milwaukee ave., but by that logic you could argue that scoop "NYC" opening in chicago is hilarious too. the retail climate in chicago is only going to get bigger over the next few years as a lot of household names like D&G and Miss Sixty are opening up in Gold Coast soon.

[absolut]

its time to remove all the shit in between belmont army and 7-11, more room to work with, kick the trash out.

as for this levis store, i cant picture it being good, the north american levis division is shit, what can they do?

[B-15C]

i'm not at all surprised by this. supposedly a louis vuitton store is taking over the copy place next to earwax. marc by marc jacobs is going to be underneath red pagoda on damen. intermix is landing soon too. i think swank frank & filter being bought out by a bank was a big indication of what is to come for wicker park. i guess i'd be alright with things becoming a bit more SoHo, but who knows.

Am I going to be living on top of a Louis Vuitton?

Directly across the street from the Levis store is still Jade, which is an upscale women's boutique that carries some very nice things. The SoHoification of Wicker Park is one thing, but I'm spooked that it could become a commercial alley that backslides into a little bit of what Michigan Ave. is, where the shopping castes mingle, people come to gape at LV and then buy cheap Levis to get a full dose of retail therapy. Either way, it's an interesting evolution. In a few years I'll be able to chalk it up to history.

[isoform]

its time to remove all the shit in between belmont army and 7-11, more room to work with, kick the trash out.

as for this levis store, i cant picture it being good, the north american levis division is shit, what can they do?

fuck you. -1.

[brokenboards]

Am I going to be living on top of a Louis Vuitton?

Directly across the street from the Levis store is still Jade, which is an upscale women's boutique that carries some very nice things. The SoHoification of Wicker Park is one thing, but I'm spooked that it could become a commercial alley that backslides into a little bit of what Michigan Ave. is, where the shopping castes mingle, people come to gape at LV and then buy cheap Levis to get a full dose of retail therapy. Either way, it's an interesting evolution. In a few years I'll be able to chalk it up to history.

that's what has been thrown around the rumor mill. i used to work for a shop that was going to expand and take over that copy space, but they passed on it and supposedly louis vuitton scarfed it up. not sure of when its going to go up, but soon i assume. at this point the neighborhood could really go either way. i think WP is still too dirty by the average tourist's standards to warrant them leaving the safety bubble that is the magnificent mile.

[absolut]

fuck you. -1.

lol

im all for cafe's and boutiques, not shops with rims and dollar merchandise.

[k1k0]

cornedbeef, the levis store in evanston is open now? i was there like a little over 2 months ago and it wasn't open yet.

i live right down the street from the one on Michigan Avenue but i still haven't been yet.

where exactly in Wicker Park is this Levis store??

[jilla82]

yea, Wicker Park is pretty much Lincoln Park 2...only difference is the hood is next to Wicker Park (and I hope they dont mess up the surrounding neighborhoods the same way wicker park and Bucktown have been)

I miss getting off the Division blue line and seeing real people.

but anway, the Levis store would be dope

didnt know there were so many Chicago superfuture folks

[absolut]

yea, Wicker Park is pretty much Lincoln Park 2...only difference is the hood is next to Wicker Park (and I hope they dont mess up the surrounding neighborhoods the same way wicker park and Bucktown have been)

I miss getting off the Division blue line and seeing real people.

but anway, the Levis store would be dope

didnt know there were so many Chicago superfuture folks

why would it be good, theres one on michigan ave.

if it carried other collections or possibly something special would be different.

otherwise wtf is the point?

[B-15C]

To be honest, we don't know what they will carry. If they're filling a niche that's like the guerrilla Levis stores abroad it could be interesting. The point is self-delusion though, because to fit the style of the neighborhood they're just going to have to look the same as the rest-- half boutique and bare-walls like US Denim and half hyper-commercial brand recognition.

It's a safe bet that they'll stock the LVC stuff.

Lincoln Park 2 is right. I sort of figured it would be somehow diffused. LP has a different feel, and the neighborhoods that border it are still interesting in their own ways. The things we think give character to a neighborhood are also the ones we look at and go, "I have no idea how they stay in business." So goes Swank Frank, Flash Taco, and who knows about the dozen or so furniture stores just holding up twenty year leases.

I don't know enough about the business side of gentrification to do anything but generalize about a neighborhood that has some very specific politics in play, and if I were a better man I'd be asking the clever guy working nights at Myopic to teach me a thing or two.

I must be too busy posting on superfuture.

[corned beef]

with all these chicago Sufer's showing up in this thread, should we have some sort of Midwest meetup happen? they've had both NY and SF already. Why not good ol Chicago?????

[cultpop 0217]

with all these chicago Sufer's showing up in this thread, should we have some sort of Midwest meetup happen? they've had both NY and SF already. Why not good ol Chicago?????

i second this. midwest meetup in chicago. lets do it.

[absolut]

im in, start another thread.

[B-15C]

with all these chicago Sufer's showing up in this thread, should we have some sort of Midwest meetup happen? they've had both NY and SF already. Why not good ol Chicago?????

Wicker Park is a 24/7 SuFu convention.

Fun reply: If I had to choose a group of people to dress up in a silly costume to hang out with, I'd be at the Star Trek convention. To be fair though, they really know how to party.

Serious reply: I think any sort of meetup should result in some kind of helpful shopping and eating guide. People keep asking for recs on the jetsetter side.

[overdone]

I like Futurgarb. It might not be super duper designer, but good for everyday gear.... especially when it's on sale. Another Level... now that's a store that makes me wonder. It pretty much carries what alot of the other stores carry. All in all, if I go to a shop in Wicker Park and it's withing my budget, I'll get it. Noir on Division had some goodies in the basement sale area and I finally got to check out Gamma Player on Division. Gamma would definitley be a place for alot of people in this forum to check. It seems that alot of the clothes there are meant for people who are built like Japanese/ Jeff Mills... LOL.

[absolut]

havent been to gamma yet but i heard womens selection is great while for men its all white/black.

ps: jeff mills is an alien

[B-15C]

I like Futurgarb. It might not be super duper designer, but good for everyday gear.... especially when it's on sale. Another Level... now that's a store that makes me wonder. It pretty much carries what alot of the other stores carry. All in all, if I go to a shop in Wicker Park and it's withing my budget, I'll get it. Noir on Division had some goodies in the basement sale area and I finally got to check out Gamma Player on Division. Gamma would definitley be a place for alot of people in this forum to check. It seems that alot of the clothes there are meant for people who are built like Japanese/ Jeff Mills... LOL.

You know what, you're right, and Gamma Player doesn't get enough mention. Futurgarb does their own thing, but it's mostly destroyed tees for their men's line; I think the brand is Afflicition. The upstairs is where the graphic designers who own the place work, and if you're by the stairs you can get a taste of their print work. The only other men's stuff they carry for shirts is 4YOU poly/cotton button ups. I know their stock inside out, and for all the mention J. Fold gets on SuFu it's worth mentioning that they stock the wallets and have had the same couple messenger bags from them for about half a year now. They're cool, but they're really not much for men's SuFu style. Their women's lines are better.

This all probably deserves a new thread-- if I was looking for somewhere to shop from out of town in Wicker Park, I'd probably not click on the thread that was titled, "New Levis Store."

[coalessence]

dang i haven't been to gamma yet, i need to stroll by this weekend....

p.s. futurgarb is all trash to me .....

[Westbrook]

i second this. midwest meetup in chicago. lets do it.

this is a good idea. does it have its own thread yet?

[isoform]

Wicker Park is a 24/7 SuFu convention.

...

Serious reply: I think any sort of meetup should result in some kind of helpful shopping and eating guide. People keep asking for recs on the jetsetter side.

This is a great idea because the supercities guide to Chicago is barren. anyway, since you suggested it, why not start the thread in Superofficial.

[Originatek]

haha,serious,everyone from chicago crawled from underneath the woodwork on this post...i havn't heard anything about the levis store,although i agree,i cant imagine how good its going to do,especially when that eye sore of store,urban outfitters is right there.i wouldnt be suprised if marc by marc flops,or atleast does really shitty at first,not only because this years collection is pretty weak,but the stuff doesnt move at barneys,and chicagoans dont know/want to rock that kind of shit.

Hejfina is great though,they have a great eye for buying and i love the store as a whole........And LV store in wicker park?that can't be true,Why would we need two?they just rearranged the one on Michigan av. and added a mens section.Their demographic is NOT near wicker park..

[overdone]

Indeed. Jeff Mills is very alien like. His wife runs the store and is really nice. Honestly, when I think Wicker Park, I think uber skinny unclean looking hipsters w/ Chrome messenger bags and single/fixed bikes. Now way you would see anybody with a pair Diors there.

Hejfina is out of my league. Can't really get much there unless it's on sale.

I wish they were opening the Threadless store in Wicker Park vs Lincoln Park. It would be so much closer to me.

BTW, there was a record store called Supreme on Milwaukee a few years ago. Sadly it burned down and is now the Brown Elephant.

[absolut]

hehe wicker park is a bunch of broke hipsters that do levis not dior, this isnt new york unfortunately.

i honestly dont know how they afford the rent over there live 5 to an apartment?

[isoform]

hehe wicker park is a bunch of broke hipsters that do levis not dior, this isnt new york unfortunately.

i honestly dont know how they afford the rent over there live 5 to an apartment?

yuppies have been overrunning wicker park/bucktown for a while now. who else buys stuff from hejfina? the really broke as shit hipsters who've been here a while moved out a long time ago--hint: they went...wait...fuck that shit, you lot are prolly the gentrifying richfolk who Bank of America are trying to cater too. :lol:

anyway, i agree... if a threadless store were to open it ought to have been in Wicker Park. it's exactly their target demographic--supposed hipsters who purchase their indie cred for 20$ a shirt.

mkay, i'm taking a break from this thread...