Kim Kardashian’s clothing boutique Skims opened a two-level flagship store Friday at the corner of Rush and Oak streets in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood, bolstering an already-strong retail district.
It’s part of a push by the reality TV star turned businesswoman to open locations in key global cities. Skims sells women’s and men’s loungewear, underwear and shapewear and already has flagship stores in Mexico City, Dubai, and on New York City’s Fifth Avenue and Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.
“I want the brand to be on the most important streets in the most important cities in the U.S. and overseas,” said Jens Grede, Skims’ CEO and co-founder with Kardashian. “And if you’re located on the corner of Oak and Rush, that’s the 50-yard line of commercial real estate. You have phenomenal global brands on every corner.”
The stretch of Rush Street between Delaware Place and Bellevue Place just west of the Magnificent Mile used to be one of Chicago’s busiest bar and nightclub districts. It now hosts fashion icons such as Prada and Hermes and luxury jeweler Cartier, which closed its North Michigan Avenue store and in early 2024 opened its present location on the southwest corner of Oak and Rush.
Kardashian’s store at 1000 N. Rush St. occupies a redesigned former bank building. Designed by Rafael de Cárdenas, it now includes sculptures, a curved staircase, freestanding displays and an illuminated ceiling.
“Skims replacing Oak Bank finally completes the street’s evolution to one of Chicago’s most dominant stretches of apparel brands, albeit just two blocks long,” said John Vance, principal at Stone Real Estate Corp.
It’s also a sign of the Gold Coast’s overall strength as a retail market, Vance said. Although the Magnificent Mile has recently shown signs of life, it still suffers from a high vacancy rate, but most Gold Coast retail spaces are filled. Its mix of luxury retailers and less expensive brands such as Lululemon and Skims, along with iconic restaurants such as Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse, should continue attracting healthy levels of foot traffic, Vance said.
“It’s very hard to find space in the Gold Coast, and it’s never looked better,” Vance said. “There are some people who were upset that the northwest corner of Rush and Oak was taken by Skims rather than another luxury retailer, but one of the reasons the Gold Coast looks great is its diversity. Shoppers can go to Lululemon, Skims and Cartier, and then have a lovely lunch at Gibsons. That makes the Gold Coast a powerful experience.”
Grede said although Skims does much of its business online, it’s also opened many bricks-and-mortar locations across the U.S., and expects the flagship stores in New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago to draw customers from wide regions, including the tourists who flock to these cities.
Downtown Chicago hotels saw a record-breaking summer tourist season in 2025, booking nearly 3.6 million room nights, a 4.3% gain over 2024 that topped the pre-COVID record of 2019, according to data from Choose Chicago, the city’s tourism arm.
“Tens of millions of people come to visit Chicago every year,” Grede said. “It’s how I want to build the company and the brand. At the end of the day, people love to shop in person. It’s a gratifying experience. Our goal is to meet the customer where they want to be.”
Retail sales are already strong in the Gold Coast, and a new store connected to Kardashian, who has more than 350 million followers on Instagram, should benefit the entire district, Vance said.
“No question she is amazing and is on quite a run,” Vance said. “She’s more than a celebrity and Skims is not just a celebrity-backed brand. She’s been in our culture for a long time and is definitely a draw.”
