The London Lounge

In case you're not aware of Paul Stuart's move to 107 East Oak Street, from the John Hancock building, it should be open this fall.

The new spot on Oak St. will be called "The Townhouse". I will miss the Hancock building store but I think the Townhouse will be a nice place.

Hey, if all of us in the LL pool our money together maybe we can buy the old Paul Stuart spot in the Hancock building for an actual London Lounge clubhouse.

Maybe not.

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

Unfortunately the floor plan has been spoken for - a Circuit City/Best Buy have been slated to move in - thereby officially transforming the Mag Mile into a Mile-long Mall. Have you confirmed the new Oak St locale? Some of the PS gents were concerned it might not get the nod. Oak St. would then appear on the address for Despos, Freeman, Greene, Laurent, Piana, and Stuart (prob forgot someone, mea culpa)... Ironic that D'hill pulled their shop - and very popular upstairs cigar lounge - off of Oak claiming they couldn't get the gentlemen traffic. The cigar lounge woulda/coulda/shoulda been grandfathered. To quote the eminent/immiment/immanent Dr. Zachary S. "oh the pain, the pain"

JAS

[quote="JAS"]Unfortunately the floor plan has been spoken for - a Circuit City/Best Buy have been slated to move in - thereby officially transforming the Mag Mile into a Mile-long Mall.

It looks like suburbia is making it's way to downtown.



Have you confirmed the new Oak St locale?/quote]

It is mentioned on the Pau Stuart Web Site.

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

I vote for location in London ... with a second in New York ... given that the Chicago location is taken!

Today I received an e-mail notice from Paul Stuart stating that the new Chicago store is now open. I will miss the Hancock building location but the new townhouse looks pretty nice. I've only seen the outside from the e-mail.

If any of our LL Midwest/Chicago area members could give us a report on the new location, that would be very appreciative.

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

The store is open.
It is more accessible, being at street level and looks more inviting than the Hancock location. Warmer, more personal environment, IMO.

Despos wrote:The store is open.
It is more accessible, being at street level and looks more inviting than the Hancock location. Warmer, more personal environment, IMO.

I walked by last night & it looks great. I've always liked their window displays, very inviting & makes you want to go in & explore.

Sadly, leaving for NY first thing but will be back January, so hope to take a look then.

But if you are going to NY you will be able to visit the NY store instead.

The John Hancock building is the last place you'd want for a clubhouse. It's the highrise from Hell.

For those members of the lounge unacquainted with Chicago's black beast, it's the multipurpose monstrosity that destroyed the scale of the Gold Coast. It dwarfed every other building in sight, and it's a truly frightening place in which to live. Although flats on the upper floors command a panoramic view of Lake Michigan or downtown Chicago, the upper floors are often engulfed in clouds. Tenants are literally blind to weather conditions and have to call down to the reception desk to see if it's raining or snowing. Worse is the groaning of the structure. It sways in the wind eight feet in either direction. Despite being braced with giant steel girders that crisscross the building in a giant, uglyass X pattern, the swaying and groaning is unnerving. Suffice to say this is not the place
for a clubhouse, nor a business, nor a nest in which to dwell with a birdseye view of the lakefront or the city.

Chicago was once known as the home of modern architecture. While that may have been true for the better part of the last century, the city began to decline aesthetically around the 1960s. Architecture went haywire, that's all there is to that. Square footage trumped design. It's ironic that the decline was abruptly halted by the recent economic debacle. The cityscape is littered with architectural projects that are incomplete or will never reach the construction phase. Perhaps that's a blessing.

JMB

Apologies for not posting this earlier, but having been informed that I made the first purchase at the PS Townhouse, I guess I can give a quick overview. First off, the location is far better for those who prefer to escape the Mag Mile Monotony, as turning onto Oak Street still exudes a sense of calm. PS, as mentioned previously, is sandwiched amongst many a fine store. I wish there were a bit more west but one has to grab the space when available. The store itself seemed rushed, insofar as turning the proverbial retail lights on, and they were still debating the display of certain items. The footprint is appreciably smaller, made to feel even more cramped by a Boyd’s of Philly like squadron of sales folk. Nothing personal – but the sensation was similar to returning to one’s grade school and instantly one is Gulliver amongst the Lilliputians. The store does dedicate space to their Phin Cole line, but since boxes were still being unpacked the experience of elegant shopping will have to wait. This also made the fitting/shoe area appear like storage, but I’m guessing that will work itself out as well.

JAS