International fashion boutique Mango opened an eagerly anticipated two-story location Wednesday on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, filling a large storefront at 664 N. Michigan Ave., the former home of retailer Tommy Bahama.
Barcelona-based Mango has established dozens of outlets across the U.S. since 2022, when it opened a flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Mango now shares the street-level retail space on the 600 block of North Michigan Avenue with a multilevel Harry Potter exhibit and store, which opened at 676 N. Michigan Ave. in April.
These leases and others raise hopes even more retailers will take another look at the Magnificent Mile, which has struggled for years with a high vacancy rate.
“Two years ago, this block was rather quiet, but with an international retailer like Mango, and Harry Potter, it’s going to bring a real shot of energy,” said John Vance, principal at Stone Real Estate Corp. “That’s important.”
Shane Grenley, Mango’s international retail director of North America, said the Magnificent Mile is an iconic retail location, and the new store was designed to give customers expansive views of the street as they shop.
“This is where we needed to be,” he said. “We feel the international clients will want to be here as well. It’s just a beautiful experience and we feel it’s a privilege to be on the street.”
Clinical researcher Kelly Veit works near the Magnificent Mile and was one of the first customers to pop in on Wednesday morning.
“I’ve been shopping with Mango for years, but it’s a European company and it’s been hard to find in this country,” she said. “I didn’t buy anything today, but the store looked good. I’m glad to see stores come back to (North) Michigan Avenue, and that it’s not struggling as much as State Street.”
Women’s clothing is on the first floor, with menswear up on the second. The 18,000-square-foot store’s interior looks like a Mediterranean villa, Mango’s traditional look, but with a Chicago-style twist. Brickwork meant to evoke Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie School of architecture decorates many walls, and handcrafted rugs cover much of the floor.
“That’s something we’ve never done before, but it shows a beautiful synergy between Chicago and (Mango),” Grenley said.
The Magnificent Mile lost many of its most famous retailers during the pandemic, including Macy’s flagship store in Water Tower Place, Abercrombie & Fitch and The Gap at 555 N. Michigan Ave., which closed in January 2021. The district received another blow in September 2023 when the owners of the Signature Room near the top of 875 N. Michigan Ave., the former John Hancock Center, shuttered the restaurant, citing COVID-19 and subsequent “severe economic hardship.”
The vacancy rate hit about 30% in 2023, a historic high, but the following year, a new crop of retailers arrived. Women’s fashion boutique Aritzia took over the former home of The Gap, and popular clothing brand H&M opened in the former Apple store at 679 N. Michigan Ave. The operator of the 360 Chicago observation deck at 875 N. Michigan Ave. also agreed to buy the Signature Room restaurant space and transform it into a new attraction.
All that activity helped push the overall Magnificent Mile vacancy rate down into the mid-20s. More stores now seem willing to open relatively large spaces, such as Mango’s two-floor, 18,000-square-foot-space, instead of just occupying smaller storefront locations, Vance said. “It’s just what that stretch of the avenue needs,” he said.