Hi sweethearts,
It’s been a fun Saturday! I spent an evening going down an old article wormhole and playing Scattergories online.
Here’s a little gem I emerged from my wormhole with: a 1997 article about Claire’s mania. If any part of you aches for the mall, or at least how it felt in the aughts, then I think it’s worth a read.
"Every week, someone calls us after seeing our sign (in Hoffman Estates) and asks a question like, `What goes on in there?' I think they have visions of hundreds of little elves stringing beaded necklaces," says director of marketing Marlene Cota of West Chicago.
Truth is, the "elves" are workaday women and men, tucked in cubicles, putting their business degrees to work. Except for the prototype store in the lobby and the fashion accessories that line the walls of the buyers' offices, the center is unremarkable. Although Claire's products spell fun for the Clearasil generation, its Hoffman Estates location spells hard work. Surrounded by racks of earrings, one buyer says: "I haven't had time to change my own earrings in weeks."