Bloomingdale’s in Old Orchard mall to close, be replaced by smaller Bloomie’s

The owners of Bloomingdale’s at Skokie’s Westfield Old Orchard Shopping are set to close down the large, traditional department store later this year, with plans to open a slimmed-down version of the retailer in the shopping center.

Bloomingdale’s, which is owned by Macy’s Inc., announced Aug. 25 it would cease operations at its longstanding store at Old Orchard and would open its second-in-the-nation Bloomie’s concept store there.

“We’re excited to be opening our second Bloomie’s location,” Bloomingdale’s Director of Stores Charles Anderson said in a statement. “The new concept remains authentic to the Bloomingdale’s brand yet reinterprets it on a smaller scale that is infused with energy and ripe for discovery.”

Len Becker, Skokie’s Economic Development Manager, said he was not surprised by the announcement of the big box retail closing, conceding the continuing trend toward online shopping.

Becker added the village is glad to see the continued presence Bloomingdale’s will maintain at Old Orchard, albeit in a different form.

“We are pleased with the fact that Macy’s corporation is opening the second Bloomie’s concept in Skokie at Old Orchard,” Becker said. “The Bloomie’s concept is really a refresh and it will create an exciting buzz.”

The first Bloomie’s opened in Fairfax, Virginia last year, according to the company.

The Bloomingdale’s statement said Bloomie’s will feature soft home categories.

A company spokesman wrote in an email to Pioneer Press that additional details about the specific merchandise available at Bloomie’s would be made public in October.

Meanwhile, the roughly 200,000-square-foot Bloomingdale’s department store in Old Orchard is expected to close by October, with a clearance sale starting Sept. 6, the company announced.

It is not certain what the future holds for the three-story, high-end Bloomingdale’s store. A spokeswoman for Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, which owns Westfield Old Orchard, deferred questions to the Bloomingdale’s spokesman.

The company did not indicate a specific location in the shopping center for the Bloomie’s store, but Becker said he thought it would go into the space formerly occupied by a Barnes & Noble bookstore.

Becker acknowledged that many large retail stores are closing around the nation.

“There are not a lot of tenants looking for 150,000 to 200,000 square feet anymore,” he said. “Macy’s and a lot of the other traditional department stores are looking at smaller concepts and bringing them closer to the customer and creating that new buzz and experience that consumers are really craving.”

Becker anticipated the current Bloomingdale’s store would be redeveloped into one with multiple potential users, similar in nature to the anticipated changes for the mall’s Lord & Taylor store which closed in 2018.

“That has been the case with shopping centers around the world,” he said.

Earlier this year, the Skokie village board implemented an additional one percent sales tax at Old Orchard.

Becker said he did not think the added sales tax played a factor in Macy’s decision to close the store.

“I think it is about profitability,” he said. “Each market is very different and they evolve over time. These bigger department store boxes aren’t feasible to operate anymore.”