The pop-up shop concept that's been all the rage in LA and New York is making its way to Chicago.
Big retailers sometimes create a pop-up shop for blowout sales, but smaller boutiques are catching on to the trend so that they're not tied down to one location, dealing with a large mortgage payment -- which often translates to lower prices for customers.
Re.Stock Shop is billing itself as Chicago's only traveling designer sample sale, claiming to offer a wide range of merchandise and sizes, instead of just the smaller sizes sample goods are known for.
"We sell designer clothes up to 80 percent off retail price," owner Julie Lebarge said. "We pop up in different areas in the city, we set up shop and open our store at least two weekends out of the month."
Lebarge currently has items ranging from designers like Jeffrey Cebelia, the winner of Project Runway Season 3, and J. Lee Silver, a Chicago design team named one of the 2009 GenArt Fresh Faces in Fashion.
"Most of them are samples or overstock, so some of the pieces are one of a kind," Lebarge said. "Some of them may not be reproduced."
Re.Stock Shop will be open Feb. 27-28 from noon to 6 p.m. at 1022 Armitage.
But they aren't the only Chicago company in the pop-up game. Beta Boutique is closing its doors next month and the owner also plans to rent store space for a couple days at a time.
