After months of closing rumors, a Chicago Walgreens housed inside a century-old bank that has recently gained local TikTok fame will soon shut it doors for good, a spokesperson for the company confirmed.
The Walgreens, located at 1372 North Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood, opened in 2012 inside the city's historic Noel State Bank. According to an announcement released at the time of its opening, it is the city's second flagship store.
“This flagship store will provide customers with a unique shopping experience within an iconic building," the release said, in November of 2012. "It’s the latest example of how we are stepping out of the traditional drug store format and helping people get, stay and live well.”
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Walgreens worked closely with the city’s Commission on Chicago Landmarks to extensively renovate the Noel State Bank building, constructed in 1919, the release goes on to say. One of the most iconic and social media-famous parts of the restoration came in the form of the store's "Vitamin Vault" -- the building's repurposed original bank vault with original bank lockboxes open and displaying various products.
And although videos and photo capturing the store's unique architecture have been shared widely across social media, they weren't enough to keep the doors open.
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"As we move forward on our strategy to expand Walgreens role as a leader in the delivery of local healthcare, we are focused on creating the right network of stores in the right locations to best meet the needs of the communities we serve," a statement from a Walgreens spokesperson said in an email. "We have made the difficult decision to close this location. There are a number of factors that we take into consideration including dynamics of the local market and changing buying habits of our customers."
The store is set to close next month, according to reporting from The Chicago Tribune.
