Boutique Spotlight: Veruca Salt
“I want the world. I want the whole world. I want to lock it all up in my pocket,” says the bratty Veruca Salt in “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.” Many women share Veruca’s want-it-all mentality (in a humbler way, of course), especially when it comes to shopping. When we find that perfect boutique with a vast must-have selection, we want to lock it all up in our closet. That’s precisely the type of boutique Amber Warren had in mind when she opened Veruca Salt here in Chicago.
Previously a fashion merchandiser and now a stylist, designer, and owner of two Veruca Salt locations, Amber has more than dabbled in the fashion industry. In 2006, she opened her first boutique in Bucktown (1921 N Damen Avenue), and in 2008, the River North store (520 N Kingsbury Street) opened. Since then, both have grown into a favorite for locals and travelers who love labels and love to shop. And, with the advent of Veruca Salt’s popular e-commerce site in 2008, shoppers around the US and the world gained access to Amber’s highly edited selection of clothing and accessories.
What attracts Veruca Salt’s vast clientele is the store’s mix of “funky LA and chic New York,” as Amber describes it, and its attention to customer service. This fusion aesthetic separates the boutique from other Chicago stores, and the level of service–including styling how-tos, honest feedback on fit, filling special requests, and all-around friendliness—makes the shopping experience more fun and more efficient. “I truly believe that selling something just to make a sale never works,” says Amber. “It’s so important to help people find things they actually look and feel great in.”
A selection of Veruca Salt’s F/W 2009 selection. Top image: Veruca Salt’s River North store (left) and the Bucktown store (right)
With a selection that includes James Jeans, Susana Monaco, Kyumi, Rachel Pally (all best-sellers), and English Muffin (Amber’s own line of comfy loungewear), Veruca Salt’s inventory is selected with women of different lifestyles, tastes, ages and sizes in mind. This, combined with the Amber’s gravitation toward “designers who give a lot more bang for your buck,” has helped these two stores weather an economy preying on Chicago boutiques.
Veruca Salt’s clear-cut mix of interest-adding basics and statement-making garments reflect how women shop right now. They want something that’s fresh, something that wows, and something that flat out works for them. By supplying a range of designers that together cannot be defined as one particular style for one particular woman, Veruca Salt has captured a market that’s growing and, frankly, real.
*Mention Style Admirer and get 20% off your Veruca Salt purchase!
By Meghan Turner
Images courtesy of Veruca Salt
Tags: Amber Warren, Chicago Boutiques, Chicago Fashion, Chicago Shopping, Veruca Salt
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March 17, 2010 | No Comments
