By the Bootstraps

Jake, a local independent boutique in Chicago’s Gold Coast, has recently caught the attention of the New York Times Style section, but has little reason to celebrate. Owners Lance Lawson and Jim Wetzel have incurred the wrath of the fashion industry after many formerly loyal designers realized the duo had no intention to pay them for their wares, the Times reports.
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Verse Chicago (1821 W. North) opened in the winter of 2009, once owner Kortnee Doss returned to Chicago after living with her fiance in Spain. Doss was saddened to find that in her absence, a huge, thriving fashion industry hadn’t developed.

“I feel like a lot of our young and raw talent, they leave as a result of that,” she said. “They don’t incubate (in Chicago). They don’t raise (people) to plant their roots here. They go to New York, they go to L.A. or they leave the country.”
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