The Skokie Mall, which started undergoing a “massive” redevelopment plan in 2022, has seen a slew of new stores and restaurants move in — including Alo Yoga, Psycho Bunny, and outposts of several popular Chicago Restaurants — along with the return of mall favorite Barnes & Noble, which opened at the mall in 1994 but shuttered in 2021.
Several new restaurants and stores are set to open at Westfield Old Orchard Mall in Skokie in the coming months, officials said, the latest in a slew of new shops as the mall continues to undergo a "massive" redevelopment plan that began in 2022.
According to a press release, Pottery Barn will relocate from its current spot in the mall and take over a portion of the newly-renovated space that once housed the Lord & Taylor Department store, which shuttered in 2018.
The home furnishing store will join previously announced tenants Arhuas and Puttshack, as well as ZARA which will relocate from its current spot at the mall's north end.
The newly renovated building is set to open in 2024, the mall said.
Canadian women's fashion brand Aritzia will also relocate to a new location in the mall and reopen to guests Dec. 21, an Aritzia spokesperson confirmed.
Three new stores are set to open at the mall as well: Popular jewelry brand seen on social media Little Words Project, opening Dec. 16; clothing and lifestyle retailer Urban Outfitters, opening in January of 2024, and Italian intimates store Intimissi, officials said.
Westfield Old Orchard will also see new dining options in 2024, including Cupitol, which has locations in Chicago and Evanston and describes itself a mixing of the "best elementals of a restaurant, bakery, café, exclusive bar."
Independently-owned café and bakery Cafe Castemila will also open at the mall next year, the release added.
Westfield Old Orchard Mall's redevelopment
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The giant redevelopment project, the mall has said, is part of an effort to make Westfield Old Orchard the "preeminent live, work, shop, and play destination on the North Shore."
“The transformational redevelopment now underway at Westfield Old Orchard will enhance experiences for Skokie residents and visitors, supporting the center as an economic engine for our community," Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen said in a press release in 2022, announcing the project. "The Village looks forward to continuing its collaboration with Westfield Old Orchard to help Skokie thrive and remain the North Shore’s premier shopping, dining and entertainment destination for decades to come.”
A slew of new retailers including French and California-inspired clothing brand Amour Vert, curated women's brand and boutique böhme and Mongolian-sourced cashmere brand Goyol Cashmere opened at the Skokie mall recently, along with return of at least two old favorites: Victoria's Secret/Pink, which closed its doors in 2020, and Barnes & Noble, which opened in the mall in 1994 but shuttered in 2021.
The mall has seen high profile closures, too.
In addition to Lord & Taylor closing in 2018, The Gap and Gap Kids both closed in early 2023. In the fall of 2022, Bloomingdale's, one of only three department stores left at Old Orchard, also closed its doors, but was revived in a new way through a smaller, more "curated" concept store, Bloomie's.
As the mall continues to undergo a transformation, here's a look at some of the new stores and restaurants that have opened over the past two years:
- Amour Vert
- böhme
- Goyol Cashmere
- Barnes & Noble (re-opening)
- Victoria's Secret/Pink (re-opening)
- Bloomies (smaller, more "curated" version of Bloomingdale's which closed in 2022)
- Alo Yoga
- Louis Vuitton
- Capital Grille
- Bar Siena
- Levi's
- Molly's Cupcakes
- Psycho Bunny
- Marine Layer
- Rodd & Gunn
- Tory Burch
- Pie Five
