A long-time business in Forest Park will be closing up shop soon. But owner Jeanine Guncheon says this isn’t necessarily the end of her business. It may just be time to reinvent herself and her brand.
Jeanine Guncheon Etcetera, 7349 W. Madison St., will close its doors sometime in the next few months. Guncheon says she has some inventory she would like to sell, then she will sell the space right afterward.
The shop specializes in eclectic and antique art, fashion, and home furnishings. One of her slogans is that her business is “your one-stop shop for everything eclectic,” and that she specializes in “unique and new and vintage items unlike anything you have ever seen.” The shop has a prerequisite for its antiques to be dated before 1900, or of exceptional quality from the mid-20th Century. Guncheon combines such antiques with new art and new home furnishings, including rugs, art, or furniture that customers aren’t likely to find in big-box stores.
“You never know what you’ll find in my shop,” she said. “If I see something at the market I like, I’m going to buy it.” She has a variety of ethnic art as well.
While Guncheon’s shop has a group of loyal customers, she says she has noticed a change in buyers over the last 23 years she’s been in business. She says she’s observed that younger buyers have different priorities. Younger generations appear to be more focused on cars, electronics, and travel, she said.
“They seem to be far less interested in what I have to sell. People’s ideas of how they want to work and how they spend their money are changing. I have felt that coming on for quite a while. Retail is suffering as a whole. Sales are always going on. That’s an indication that money is tight,” she said.
But while this incarnation of her business is coming to an end, she isn’t quite ready to stop altogether. Guncheon has been studying art and antiques since she was in her teens and creates her own artwork. She said she wants to spend a bit more time in her own studio creating her own works.
She says she will take some time to reflect and reassess her life and business and then figure out how to move forward.
“Art and business are my whole life,” she said. “Buying and selling, and traveling to industry-related events, is a huge inspiration for my life. I have always been a high-energy person, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. I still have the energy and inspiration to do it all again.”
Prior to opening Jeanine Guncheon Etcetera 23 years ago, Guncheon had a shop in Oak Park, which she opened in 1989 called Beggars Market. She hasn’t ruled out a return to Oak Park. But right now, she is focused on wrapping things up in her current shop and thinking about creating her own art.
For the time being, Guncheon will focus on selling as much as she can so she can sell the space. For more information on Jeanine Guncheon Etcetera, visit jeanineetc.com