Click Boutique announced its closing downtown and will be reborn as the new boutique Weekender in Midtown Market due to the departure of co-owner Jason LeViere.
According to Click Boutique’s Facebook page, the well-known downtown fashion spot will close by the end of October. Co-owners Adam Myrick and Jason LeViere began Click Boutique in 2011, when the downtown area had just begun to sprout new businesses.
However, when LeViere began to look longingly back to his hometown of New York City, Myrick knew that it was the end of an era.
“You can’t ever hold anyone back,” Myrick said. “This is a great opportunity for (LeViere) to go and further his career.”
While the brand of Click may be ending, Myrick said that residents can look forward to something new with his new personal business venture, Weekender.
“It’s a more casual, sporty, everyday wear versus the wear-to-work sophistication that Click was,” Myrick said. “Definite contrast in brands, but it’s definitely going to be accessible for students in price point, in style and in accessibility.”
Myrick wanted to bring the classic Click style to the modern day, citing the trend in fashion of wearing sneakers with almost everything. “It’s great (paired) with jeans and skirts. We want to be that store for the modern casual lifestyle.”
He also thought carefully about his new location, considering the previous disadvantage of the store being so far from student residential areas. He said he was drawn to Midtown Market due to one of its charismatic business leaders, Robert St. John, a well-known restaurateur who owns Tabella, Crescent City Grill, Purple Parrot, The Branch and Mahogany Bar.
“Robert St. John has a vision for what Midtown Market needs to be. He has some new projects under way in the next couple years,” Myrick said. “I was so impressed by his energy, enthusiasm and vision. For me, I really wanted to be surrounded by that energy and forward thinking.”
While some are excited about the new fashion possibilities, many are dismayed by the loss of one of their favorite stores. Lauren Scarborough, a sophomore theatre major, expressed her sadness at the store’s closing.
“I have a lot of fond memories from there, from picking out a dress for my high school graduation to just treating myself to a shopping trip downtown,” she said. “But now they are moving closer to campus, and I can’t wait to make new memories at their new store.”
Weekender, the new boutique, is set to open Nov. 3, near Starbucks and the Corner Market on Hardy Street.
