AT&T closing store on Michigan Avenue, latest in retail exodus

CHICAGO (WLS) -- AT&T is the latest in a line of stores to pull out of Chicago's Magnificent Mile.

The stretch of Michigan Avenue was once known as downtown Chicago's shopping mecca, but more and more stores seem to be closing their doors.

AT&T said it's changing with the times by shuttering their Michigan Ave. store near Ontario by August 1.

In a statement, the company said in part, "consumer shopping habits continue to change, and we're changing with them. That means serving customers where they are through the right mix of retail stores, digital channels and our phone-based care team."

Other stores like Gap, Banana Republic and Verizon Wireless have already left the stretch.

"Retail trends are changing we know shopping habits have changed," said Kimberly Bares, president o the Magnificent Mile Association. "While we don't like to hear about any of our corporations leaving we have great enthusiasm and optimism about the future of the Mag Mile."

The Mag Mile Association said about 25% of its store lots are vacant right now, similar to the 28% of vacant storefronts in the Loop. Leaders with both the Mag Mile Association and the Chicago Loop Alliance said shopping habits have shifted.

"Traffic is still here but it's a different traffic than before," said Michael Edwards, president of the Chicago Loop Alliance. "We're not getting our office workers back as much as we used to, but it's being filled out by visitors, people experiencing Chicago maybe for the first time, so we're pretty happy about that."

The changes are also in part from the overwhelming emergence of online shopping, which many people now prefer to shopping in person along busy city streets.

But others still prefer the nostalgia of Michigan Avenue, and the specific type of shopping they can do there.

"There's so many expensive stores around," said Ethan Nguyen who is visiting from Nebraska. "We have so much money, ya know, just going into anywhere and spending."

AT&T said all employees of their Michigan Avenue store will be offered jobs at different locations.