Glen Ellyn Business to Close After 50 Years at Downtown Location

Katy’s Boutique has been a downtown staple for 50 years but is slated to close in coming weeks, Suburban Life Publications reports.

Owner Katy Balabinis is planning to retire after she was diagnosed with cancer for the third time in March and is undergoing chemotherapy, according to the article.

Katy, originally from Athens, Greece, moved to the United States at the age of 19 and attended Ray-Vogue College of Design in Chicago before becoming a designer in the city. She learned of an open retail space in Glen Ellyn and decided to go ahead with opening her store at 427 N. Main Street in 1965, the newspaper reports.

Her clothing line, which she developed in the 1970s, was sold at select Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom locations, according to the Suburban Life Publications.

In her retirement, Balabinis plans to travel and make clothes for underprivileged children. Her shop will hold going-out-of-business sales for the four to six weeks as it prepares to close, according to the article.

Read more on the Suburban Life Publications website.