Fly Bird, a funky, independent Oak Park shop, located at 719 Lake St., is closing soon, just short of its eight-year anniversary.
Owner Julia Nash announced in January that she was hoping to sell the store to a new owner, as she planned to finish the nursing degree she started 15 years ago. But no one seemed to be the right fit, and Nash had second thoughts about seeing a new “head bird” take over the nest.
“All of it is so personal to me,” Nash said while working the counter last week. “It wasn’t comfortable to me. I just didn’t find the right buyer.”
Roughly 10 percent of the inventory remained to be sold as of Friday, all of which is being offered at 40 percent off the original price. Store fixtures are for sale, too, but they’re accepting cash only. Nash had hoped to shutter the store on Saturday, but said on Sunday that she’ll stay open for an undetermined number of days this week to continue unloading merchandise.
Nash, 43, opened the store in the spring of 2004 and built a following over the years, selling unusual items, such as thumb-wrestling masks and Pac-Man cookie cutters. She had already planned, from the time she started the store, to eventually leave to finish nursing school. The economy, and changing shopping habits, didn’t help.
They enjoyed two of the best years in Fly Bird’s history in 2009 and ’10, but they sold a Groupon in September 2010, which Nash said helped hasten the store’s demise.
The deal was $15 for $30 in merchandise, of which the owner only collected $7.50. She expected a small turnout, but Fly Bird sold 700 of the Internet coupons, inventory was decimated and the shoppers didn’t really return after using their Groupon the first time.
In addition, consumers seemed to be craving lower and lower price points, and Nash couldn’t afford it.
“Not that I was against having lower price-point items,” she said. “All of [the store’s products] were design-forward, super-cool things that I was so excited about, and so excited to bring to people. I could do it, but then I would be a museum, and I can’t pay the bills doing that.
“That was really it. I wanted to stick with the integrity of the store, and that was getting harder and harder to do.”
Fly Bird joins a raft of recent closings in the Avenue business district, including the Oak Park Food Market and the Pagani hair salon. But the three closures are isolated events that do not reflect on the viability of the area, said Brandy Masoncup, president of the Avenue and co-owner of Geppetto’s Toy Box.
“We’re obviously very disappointed to be losing such a unique retailer,” she said, pointing out that Nash has been on the Avenue board ever since the store opened. “Just the energy and zeal she brought to the organization, plus her lengthy retail experience, was a huge benefit, and it will be missed.”
Nash was upbeat about the closure Friday, saying it was a chance to start a new chapter in her life. At the same time, she’ll miss the repartee with Fly Bird’s customers — so much so that she may start a pop-up location for a few months closer to the holidays.
Oak Parker Kandy Shapiro, 44, was in the store Friday afternoon buying a baking set and mourning the loss of the shop.
“People are going to miss you next month, and in two months, three months, when they realize you’re gone,” Shapiro said.
“Yeah, I mean, there was just a vibe here. It wasn’t about buying stuff. It was a happy place, and people just enjoyed being here,” Nash said.