While College Park is moreso known for its array of bars and restaurants than for its selection of fashion boutiques, students looking for trendy clothes now have fewer options after Ke’Chic Boutique shuttered its doors last month.
The store opened on Route 1 in July 2010 and then relocated further south in May to the corner of Lehigh Road and Yale Avenue. It closed in early January because its operating hours weren’t frequent enough to stay afloat, according to property manager Devin Hinton, who said the business appeared closed each time he visited.
“They were never open,” Hinton said. “I think the proprietor had another job doing something else. … Truly, I think you have to be open 9 [a.m.] to 5 [p.m.] or have regular business hours.”
The owner of Ke’Chic Boutique could not be reached for comment.
But an erratic schedule may not have been the store’s sole downfall, according to City Economic Development Coordinator Michael Stiefvater, who said the store’s discreet presence — tucked away from the crowded swath of businesses lining Route 1 — wasn’t commanding enough to attract customers.
“I don’t know if there were crowds often,” Stiefvater said. “It looks more like an office building than a retail space when you walk by, so maybe people couldn’t see it visually.”
Several students, such as sophomore finance and government and politics major Allison Wynant, said they had never heard of the clothing store, and they wouldn’t consider the city a desirable locale for clothes shopping.
“I mostly shop online,” Wynant said. “It’s kind of a hard market to get people shopping out in College Park.”
Other city officials, such as District 2 Councilman Bob Catlin, said the cost associated with a spot near downtown College Park could have been too high for a clothing store to handle.
“The rents are so high on Route 1,” Catlin said. “Places like clothing stores just can’t pay anything near that kind of rent. … [Restaurants] can afford to pay higher rents.”
Briana Abedi — assistant manager for the clothing shop On Cloud 9, located at 4513 College Ave. — said she did not know the boutique had permanently shut its doors, and also that students’ tight budgets sometimes keep them away from clothing stores.
“That’s unfortunate,” Abedi said. “I didn’t even realize that they closed.”
Cluckster’s manager George Lincoln said the city presents a difficult business climate because college students lack steady incomes.
“You have to understand that college kids are getting money from their parents,” Lincoln said. “They’re more worried about getting their education and having a good time.”
Some students, such as freshman anthropology major Emily Bokelman, said they aren’t financially stable enough to shop while in school.
“Honestly, I don’t have money to be shopping much anyway, so I do most of that back home,” she said.
foley@umdbk.com
