J. Crew Rumored to Fill Failing Southport Athletic Club

Just weeks after Patch confirmed clothing retailer Gap will open a new store near the Southport Brown Line CTA station, rumors that J. Crew will set up shop just a few storefronts down are buzzing.

The news comes after representatives with the Southport Athletic Club, also known as Studio 3440, announced they’d be closing permanently on Dec. 29. Located at 3440 N. Southport Ave., the soon-to-be vacant storefront is in the heart of the Southport shopping corridor.

And then there was a status update on the Southport Corridor Facebook page reading, “Rumor has it SPAC is closing. Rumor also has it that the new tenant is J. Crew… What do you think?”

Heather Way, the executive director of the Lakeview Chamber of Commerce, says while it’s true Southport Athletic Club will soon be closed, rumors of J. Crew filling the space are just that: rumors.

“It’s confirmed that Southport Athletic Club is closing and they sent out an email to their members,” Way said. “And I do know for a fact that J. Crew is touring right now and very interested in Southport, but it’s purely speculation at this point. It’s completely unconfirmed.”

Multiple attempts to contact J. Crew about the rumor were left unsuccessful, as representatives with the retailer didn’t immediately return Patch’s phone calls or emails about the property.

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And while J. Crew remains a rumor, there are less than two weeks before the Southport Athletic Club closes. Customer Service Representative Ben Brunette said based on the amount of members they currently have, it seemed right to close.

“We just decided to close up the club because we don’t have the participation,” Brunette said. “We sent (members) an email on the 13th, and we currently have phone calls going out… I’m not really sure if (business at Southport Fitness) had anything to do with it. Our club concept just changed, and after the change, the participation dwindled from there.”

However, based on the almost 60 “Likes” and 13 “Shares” regarding the news on the Southport Corridor News and Events page, it’s clear a J. Crew would be a welcomed replacement.

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