Store closing: Hejfina

I had a feeling something was up with Hejfina earlier this week. I e-mailed the store looking for a Rag & Bone coat we're going to feature in our upcoming Fall Fashion issue, and since the superb Wicker Park shop usually carries the line, I was thinking we could borrow a sample for a photo shoot. I got a response saying that the store will not be carrying Rag & Bone starting this fall. It seemed a little odd, but I didn't think much more about it.

Of course, now I know that the boutique won't be carrying any clothes this fall: It's closing up shop at the end of September. In an e-mail sent to friends and family this afternoon (customers on the mailing list should be notified by August 31), owner Heiji Choy Black said she's closing the store for two reasons: "The first being that [husband] Brian and I are expecting a second child, and second, I feel that the way people shop has forever changed in this difficult economy." The store has been all about style and grace during its five years in business, and Black has been responsible for bringing many hard-to-find labels (albeit, often with high price tags) to Chicago. It'll no doubt be missed, but in the meantime at least, shoppers can scoop up inventory (men’s and women’s clothing, modern art and architecture books and locally crafted contemporary furniture) at "going-out-of-business" discounts.