Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
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Council came into being. "I ended up being the first president because my kids were older—com- pared to the others involved—so I got the job!" I t turned out to be much more of a job than Miglin ever imagined, but the end result is a permanent testament to her drive to make ple like Joan Weinstein, the legendary owner of Ultimo; Buzz Ruttenberg, who owned the Esquire Theatre; and "so many others," Miglin says they developed a plan. Aided by a $100,000 grant from the city, the Oak Street team ultimately raised quite a bit more. "We raised $500,000, which was an extremely impressive number back then," says Miglin. "We tore up the sidewalks and replaced them with black ones. That was Lee Miglin's idea—a way to make the street look more European and sophisticated. We bought elegant street lamps—48 of them—plus 28 trees. At one point, when the entire street was torn up, I wondered if I would have the to get it done!" says Miglin with that tone of quiet determination that is her trademark. While Miglin and her Oak Street allies have always worked in conjunction with the Greater North Michigan Avenue Association, she notes that it has been important for Oak Street to remain "dis- tinct and unique." That is something more essential today than ever, as the retailing environment on Michigan Avenue has changed as well. "Today, the Avenue has more of a 'core' customer base," says Miglin. "Whereas we tend to attract a consumer looking for something they won't find there." For most of the 1990s, the Oak Street Council sponsored a widely heralded fashion show, with the street closed off from Michigan to Rush and tented with a runway down the middle, much like you'd find at Fashion Week in New York. "It was a terrific way for everyone on the street to showcase the latest styles, and for about 10 years it gave the street's mer- chants an enormous boost," says Miglin. "But it was a very expensive proposition. That tent alone cost $250,000. The recession made that show too expen- sive. But I would love to see it come back some day." Miglin notes that Oak Street has become some- thing of a bauble street for fancy jewelers, with standbys Lester Lampert and Trabert & Hoeffer now joined by international jewelers Graff, Harry Winston, and Pomellato, plus the timepiece empo- rium Geneva Seal. "But we have so much more than those amazing jewelers," says Miglin, noting such labels as Jil Sander, Prada, David Yurman, Loro Piana, Hermès, and Paul Stuart. And don't forget Bravco, a discount beauty supply and acces- sories store that has been there for decades. It's all very different from when Miglin opened her doors on Oak Street 49 years ago. Her ultimate "AT ONE POINT, WHEN ALL OF OAK STREET WAS TORN UP, I WONDERED IF WE WOULD HAVE THE ENERGY TO SEE IT ALL THROUGH. BUT WE JUST HAD TO GET IT DONE!" Elaborate signage celebrates Oak Street as the upscale shopping mecca it is today. success was far from certain in 1963. "I always wanted to be an entrepreneur," says Miglin with a slight smile. "But shortly after I opened on Oak Street, our mailperson came into the salon and said, 'Do you realize your competition is across the street and they do $60,000 a year in cosmetics? You're not going to be here in about 10 days.'" Oak Street what it is today. Supported by peo- Miglin confesses that she went home and cried that day. But the happy result? "I soon passed $60,000," she recalls, "and we have never looked back." The former model's original concept "was—and still is—to teach women how to apply makeup that is correct for their lifestyle." Beginning with 129 unusual brands of cosmetics never before avail- able to the general public, Miglin initially mailed out about 500 letters to friends and acquaintances inviting them "to come into this little store on Oak Street." Today, in addition to her direct sales to customers worldwide, Miglin just celebrated her 19th year on HSN this summer. As Oak Street has evolved, so have Marilyn energy to see it all the way through. But we just had Miglin and her business. While skincare and makeup are still important parts of her product mix, she is equally known today for the 36 fra- grances she has created. It amuses her that the first one, Pheromone, "would become the classic that it has —32 years old and 'she' still evokes compli- ments and still is the number-one seller on HSN." For Marilyn Miglin—a Chicago success story who has seen all kinds of economic times—"I've learned an important lesson. No matter how stress- ful things are in the market, there always seems to be disposable income available. There still are people who want to shop on a street that has the cachet of Oak Street," Miglin shares. "I love it when I hear someone say, 'Oh my goodness! You bought that on Oak Street?' It will remain vital and vibrant, because we need a place like that." MA Oak Street is home to such famous labels as Hermès, Jil Sander, Prada, and David Yurman. PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF BRIAN BURT (OAK STREET, HERMES)