Pop-up Shop in Vacant Downtown Loehmann's

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

When the Chicago location of Loehmann's closed its doors last January, no one predicted it would take nearly five months to find a tenant. The space at 151 North State, along one of the Windy City's premier shopping districts, has become a vacant eyesore across from Macy's on State Street inside of the historic Marshall Field's. Loehmann's leased the space for three years before the retail chain declared bankruptcy in November 2010. Suburban locations in Oak Brook and Naperville were closed around the same time, but continues to operate the Morton Grove and Northbrook stores as the company moves through bankruptcy proceedings.

Fast forward six months to present, and another bankrupt Chicago-based apparel company has temporarily set up shop in the modern glass storefront. Suit-maker and men's apparel company Hart Schnaffer Marx, formerly known as Hartmarx Corp, has been reformed into HMX, LLC. The pop-up shop is much more sparse than we expected, and looks more like a garage sale than a location selling "premiere (sic) luxury brands." Clothing is presented in plastic bags and unceremoniously dumped in cardbox boxes atop folding tables. To be fair, the company is bankrupt. HMX is not only selling clothing under their flagship label Hart Schnaffer Marx, but also brands such as Hickey Freeman, Bobby Jones, and Coppley. This location opened on June 8th and is open daily from 9am to 6 pm, and is closed Sundays.

As of yesterday morning all sportswear is an additional half price. - Amy Creyer
· Hartmarx Corporation [Official Site]