WINNETKA, Ill. — Missy Hebson and Kelly Golden knew they were taking a risk three years ago when they chose a sleepy street in this suburb in the Chicago area’s North Shore to launch Neapolitan, a high-end boutique carrying Alexander McQueen, Chloé and Zac Posen.
The small, affluent town of Winnetka, about 17 miles north of the city, was known more for WASP-y preppiness and as a location for the movies “Sixteen Candles,” “Breakfast Club” and “Home Alone” rather than its high fashion.
But Hebson and Golden, who attended Regina Dominican High School in nearby Wilmette, knew better. “There is a high concentration of wealth and women,” Golden said of Winnetka, where the median family income is $200,000 and the median asking price for a home tops $1 million. “This market was being ignored. I don’t know if they thought North Shore moms didn’t like to dress up or they didn’t appreciate fine design.”
Neapolitan proved the doubters wrong. Elm Street, a once quiet thoroughfare with several vacancies when Neapolitan moved in, is now home to two restaurants, a gourmet chocolatier and more retail. On Thursday, the boutique almost doubled its 1,800-square-foot retail space, adding 1,400 square feet to house a growing accessories business that includes Nancy Gonzalez handbags, Irene Neuwirth jewelry and Valentino shoes.
“We’ve found our customer can justify spending $1,000 on a handbag or a pair of shoes more than on a cashmere sweater,” Golden said. “Customers are buying multiple bags a season: one for carpool, one for yoga, one for dinner with the girls and a tote for travel.”
Golden estimated the average customer purchase at $1,500. Price points range from $30 small Pucci scarves and $70 T-shirts to $8,000 designer gowns. Other retailers are taking notice.
Jake, a men’s and women’s specialty store, with two locations in Chicago, is unveiling a 1,500-square-foot Winnetka store next month carrying lines such as 3.1 Phillip Lim and Alexander Wang.
“They’re a very sophisticated customer,” Jake’s co-owner, Lance Lawson, said of the North Shore clientele. “They definitely know what they want and…they’re willing to pay for it.”
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In addition to Winnetka, with more than 12,000 residents, retailing there draws customers from all along the North Shore, including the towns of Glencoe, Evanston, Deerfield, Highland Park and Lake Forest.
The space for Jake, which previously housed an art gallery, will be mostly white, bright and modern with more small-town touches such as a screen door and antiques to give it a more of homey feel, Lawson said. Merchandise generally will range from more than $100 for designer denim from Habitual or Notify to $3,500 for fur pieces and eveningwear. Lawson predicted sales at $1,000 a square foot.
“There wasn’t another boutique focusing on emerging and hard-to-find designers that may be more common in New York or Los Angeles,” said Lawson, who plans to bring Doo.Ri, Martin Margiela and Sari Gueron to the area.
Lawson, who wants to open Jake in New York next year, credited Neapolitan for paving its way in the Chicago suburbs. “They really pioneered the concept of doing a city store in Winnetka.”