Eidolon Closing After 14 Years On 5th Avenue

Eidolon, the boutique that opened at 233 5th Avenue in October 1999, will close up shop next month. Owner Amara Felice sent word that she’ll be closing the business because of a decline in sales over the past few years, noting how increased rents and competition have made it difficult to keep the shop open.

“Eidolon was the first boutique to open on Fifth Avenue and it helped to create a unique and vibrant shopping destination,” she wrote in an email, “but there is a lot of competition and with today’s rents, it is difficult for a store like Eidolon to survive.”

We spoke with Amara earlier this year, when she explained a bit about the shop’s beginnings as a co-op with four partners who filled the store with their own handmade wares and merchandise from other independent designers. Those partners have since gone, and as of August 2012, the business was Amara’s alone, making it harder to sustain.

“I personally cannot keep the store open any longer without going deeper into debt,” she wrote, explaining the difficult decision to close.

She says that “a very interesting new store” will open in the Eidolon space in mid-February, and that she will be selling some of her designs in the new shop. We will update as we hear more, but for now, be sure to stop by the shop to wish Amara well and pick up a deal.

“I want to take this time to thank you for your loyalty and support over the years,” she wrote. “Please pop in through the month of January and take advantage of our winter clearance sale.”