Local handmade goods store Waxwing is reopening their storefront after six years of being online-only. The store will be located on the Lower-East side in the former James May Gallery Space (2201 North Farwell Avenue), conveniently situated across from the Oriental Theatre.
While there is currently no set date for the store’s reopening, owner Steph Davies hopes its doors will be open in time for the East Side’s Summer Soulstice Block Party. “I’m letting myself just go with the flow, so if we make it or not it’s okay,” she says.
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Waxwing originally opened its doors in 2012, in a small, less than 600-square foot space in Shorewood for three years. In 2015, they made a welcome upgrade to an 1800-square foot space on the corner of Oakland and North Ave, which remained Waxwing’s home until 2020, when the pandemic began and Davies’ lease ended. She chose to move all of her sales online, and has been successfully following that business model ever since.
“It’s been a whirlwind since COVID hit and it was hard to survive with all the same expenses,” says Davies. “I feel very lucky in that regard because that allowed us this little reprieve and to look at the community and see what is missing from it. We thought, ‘How can we be a space where we can inspire people who are making art?’”
However, Davies still felt the pull of a brick-and-mortar store, and after countless months waiting for the right moment, the opportunity finally arose. “I was actually on a date at Ma Fischer’s and saw that the space was available, and it’s just a beautiful building,” she explains.
Davies had had her eyes on the place for a long time, but it always seemed to be changing hands just as she saw the “Now Leasing” sign. This time, when she called, the stars seemed to align at just the right time – the space fell into her lap and the keys, into her hand.
A lot of time has passed since Davies first opened WaxWing, and she too has changed as a person. “I was a young artist and I didn’t have children yet, and I was very idealistic and sort of blind to everything that goes into running a business,” says Davis. She went from overworking herself constantly to molding herself to the slow lifestyle the pandemic brought. But Davis says this down time was needed for her to focus on the things she felt she hadn’t before: her family and her own art.
Walking back into the world of brick and mortar can be scary, but Davies can’t help but express her excitement, “I’m excited, but it’s completely different this time because I know more of what I’m walking into. I have more awareness that it’s not just a store, and I know how much time goes into a business. It’s just about keeping a balance, which can be really hard.”
As terrifying as it is, Davies isn’t doing it alone. With the help of two of her more senior employees and dearest friends, she’s been able to bring the vision to life. “As soon as they found out I was opening, they signed on to be a part of it. You know, that’s really what it’s about, building those bridges and keeping them going,” she says.
Thankfully, the James May Gallery is a beautiful building, so Davies isn’t worried about renovating the place. With a plethora of materials from her old spaces, she’s been enjoying putting her own special touch on the new place.
Davies is keeping the community updated with the renovation process through Waxwing’s Instagram page.
“This all happened so quickly that so much is still in the early stages, so stay tuned,” says Davies. “It’s going to be an evolving space and that will grow and change as the community does, and we are just excited to see what happens.”
