Polar Vortex Strikes Chicago Design Community
You may have heard: It’s really cold in Chicago right now. The polar vortex that’s descended upon the city has forced temperatures down to minus 21 degrees Fahrenheit, just shy of the all-time record for lowest temperature, minus 27 degrees, set in 1985. To put that in some perspective, Instagram is now full of Chicagoans pouring cups of water, walking outside, and throwing that cup of liquid into the air, where it freezes instantly. So, yeah, it’s that cold.
For the design community, though, the polar vortex has a broader effect on business. Tons of stores and showrooms across the city are shutting their doors for the worst of it, reopening after the coldest temperatures has passed now.
Interior design and retail shop Norcross and Scott Home posted before the polar vortex indicating that it would stay open throughout the freeze. It's also prepping for its Hygge Fest, making the shop a great place to duck inside and warm up while wandering the streets.
Design store Foursided closed its doors yesterday “due to extreme cold,” according to a post on its Instagram story. Today, though, the company posted again saying that the store was back open from 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
Mint Home closed for the initial chill, posting to its Instagram page that the store would be closed on January 30, and reopen on January 31.
Kneen & Co closed temporarily, instead letting employees to work from home to help their remote clients with various projects. According to CEO and founder Mary Jeanne Kneen, “We’ve been working from home for the past couple of days, as it hasn’t been safe for the team to commute to our Michigan Avenue showroom."
The bigger issue for Kneen & Co and other stores and showrooms in the area is being able to transport goods. “We’ve been able to continue working with our national clientele, but all shipments are still on hold as FedEx and UPS aren’t fully up-and-running," Kneen tells AD PRO. "We actually started having issues with shipments as early as Tuesday! Since our clients might be spending more time shopping online than in person during this time, we've taken extra measures to ensure we're available to quickly respond to all needs and questions via phone and email. Dealing with this weather certainly has been quite the adventure!”
For anyone still hunkered down in Chicago, stay warm!
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