Habit, the nationally recognized Chicago boutique dedicated to championing emerging local designers, is closing its doors Saturday after five years.
Habit owner Lindsey Boland sent an e-mail notice to customers Wednesday announcing that she was shutting down the shop.
Boland, a clothing designer who trained with Cynthia Rowley in New York, opened the store at 1951 W. Division St. in September 2005 with high hopes of turning the spotlight on local talent. She handpicked clothing and accessories that independent designers created in small quantities, aiming to rely on Chicago designers alone for half the store's inventory.
Habit joins a growing number of high-profile Chicago boutiques that have closed this year in the wake of the recession as well-heeled shoppers cut back on spending.
Ultimo, a longstanding fixture on Oak Street, closed in January. Designer Maria Pinto, a favorite of first lady Michelle Obama, shut down her wholesale business, including her West Loop retail store, in March. And Jake filed for bankruptcy and closed its store in March amid a swirl of controversy.
Habit is offering 40 percent off of its inventory through Saturday, accepting cash only for purchases, according to its Web site. It is also selling the fixtures and antiques that gave the boutique its art-gallery aura.
Boland couldn't be reached for comment.
Time for Omega's Debut: Omega, the timekeeper for Olympians and astronauts, is opening its first Chicago boutique on North Michigan Avenue, sources said.
The store is slated to open in November at 909 N. Michigan Ave. in the space occupied by Italian shoe boutique Fratelli Rossetti, which recently closed.
The Swiss luxury watchmaker, owned by Swatch Group, operates dozens of Omega-branded stores around the world, but only recently committed to a U.S. expansion.
The 162-year-old watch brand store debuted in New York last year with a two-level flagship on Fifth Avenue, the company's only freestanding U.S. boutique. That store touts private selling rooms and a coffee bar on the first floor, while the second level houses the collections and the watchmaker workroom.
Omega President Stephen Urquhart told Women's Wear Daily in April 2009 -- at the New York store opening -- that he plans to open Omega boutiques across the U.S. and is looking at Nevada, Texas and Florida.
An Omega-branded store in Beverly Hills opened in 2006 and subsequently closed.
Omega officials didn't return calls for comment.
Omega watch is the official watch for the Olympics and NASA. And it unseated Rolex as the watch for superspy James Bond when Pierce Brosnan appeared with an Omega in the 1995 film "GoldenEye."
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