Last year was not exactly a banner one for the bridal business. Kate Reavey, owner of the event space and decoration rental company Chicago Vintage Weddings, planned just eight celebrations, compared with the usual 30. “I was going out of my mind,” Reavey says, “and everyone in the wedding industry is feeling so down.” Yet while walking her dog along Damen Avenue in the fall, she saw all those “For Rent” signs not as a dark cloud but as an opportunity for evolution. She leased a 2,000-square-foot space and within a month opened Capucine, a modern-day general store with a vaguely French-castle vibe. Shoppers can grab locally made Katherine Anne Confections truffles, Foggy Dog sustainable pet toys, or Capucine-branded candles, as well as jewelry by Pilsen-based Mashallah. They’ll also find antique furniture and an assortment of frilly cake stands, brass candlesticks, and vintage flatware, some plucked from Reavey’s event planning warehouse, that they can combine to create their own dream tablescape. “Opening a boutique was very much an impulse, but it felt like injecting a ray of sunshine,” Reavey says. “It’s something to do, it makes people happy, and it’s a way to provide income for my vendors.” And of giving back, too: Five percent of the profits go to a different nonprofit each season. 1804 N. Damen Ave.
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