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Longtime Flossmoor resident Jim Lund stopped by Gypsy Fix boutique on Saturday to see how shop owner Morgan Sullins was doing in her new location, the former site of Coldwell Banker Realtors at the corner of Flossmoor Road and Sterling Avenue.

“It really enhances the downtown village experience. When I grew up here, this was the Flossmoor grocery store,” he said. “It’s really refereshing to see the lights on here.”

Gypsy Fix owner Morgan Sullins, left, helps customer Charlesnika Evans on Saturday in the shop's new space at the corner of Sterling Avenue and Flossmoor Road. (Eric Crump/H-F Chronicle)
Gypsy Fix owner Morgan Sullins, left, helps customer Charlesnika Evans on Saturday in the shop’s new space at the corner of Sterling Avenue and Flossmoor Road. (Eric Crump/H-F Chronicle)

Sullins still marvels that her little boutique shop in downtown Flossmoor has survived the pandemic so far. She opened Gypsy Fix in March, just before the state-ordered businesses to shut down.

Now she’s got more to marvel at, because her shop not only survived the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, it’s thriving.

Sullins moved Gypsy Fix into a larger space about a week ago, relocating to  a bright, open space that’s just down the street a few doors from her first location.

She had been thinking about expanding because when the state relaxed its pandemic restrictions in the summer, the shop quickly outgrew its home at 1044 Sterling Ave.

“The busier the store got, the more stuff I got in, the walls just started closing in around me,” she said. “Christmas was really tough. It was so busy. I could have used part-time help, but where would I put another person?”

She credits property manager Marty Max of MLC Properties and Management for making the move possible. Max had been urging Sullins to relocate, but she felt the former real estate office was too large for her to afford. Then just before the holiday season, he made her an offer she couldn’t pass up, the big space at no charge for six weeks.

Max noted that retail businesses have faced headwinds in recent years, and the COVID-19 pandemic hit them hard. He hoped the offer of free space would plant the seeds of new opportunity for local businesses to thrive. 

“My goal was to generate extra income for my stores or any of the people that participate, and to drive traffic back to downtown Flossmoor for the holidays,” Max said. “Thinking, obviously, that if we have some success that some of these vendors may want to stay.”

Art on the walls of Gypsy Fix is by local artists. All proceeds from sales go to the artist. (Eric Crump/H-F Chronicle)
Art on the walls of Gypsy Fix is by local artists. All proceeds from sales go to the artist. (Eric Crump/H-F Chronicle)

Sullins didn’t want to try moving her inventory that fast, but she had an idea that fit perfectly with Max’s vision for the space. She offered the space to local artists and artisans, who created a popup craft and art market.

The market was a success, she said, and that gave her the nudge she needed to make the move. After Max agreed to subdivide the space, she moved Gypsy Fix to the lobby and front office spaces.

“It’s a perfect situation for Morgan, who has defied all odds and has grown her business during this pandemic,” Max said. “She needed more space and the corner space is the best space in the building. I believe having her commitment made the others decision easy.”

The market has 14 spaces to lease to artists, artisans and other vendors. Ten of those spaces are already leased, and the shops are expected to open early this month. Sullins is serving as the property manager for the market.

Sullins said about half of the vendors who have signed leases are from the popup market.

“There’s good energy here. We have a lot of talent here, all local,” she said. “People should not have to go to Orland Park or Tinley Park every time they need something.” 

The new space is providing Sullins a chance to offer more of her customers’ favorite products, including furniture. She’s a refinisher who started the store primarily for selling furnishings but soon ran out of room for those items.

She also has had demand for more clothes, more baby products and more men’s products. She didn’t keep much inventory for men initially because she didn’t expect them to be a major part of her clientele. But men have been customers, so she’s adding products accordingly.

Charlesnika Evans of Flossmoor and her daughter, Arielle, 14, spent some time on Saturday browsing the expanded offerings. Charlesnika said the family has frequented the store since it opened, mainly buying furniture. 

“My husband’s a fan,” she said. “He hasn’t been in the new store, though. I got here first.” 

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