Aug. 17, 2015 By Christian Murray
Elksa, the Hunters Point clothing and home décor store that was formerly known as LIC:living, will be closing at the end of September, according to a e-mail blast written by its proprietors.
Jillian Tangen and Rebekah Witzke opened the store, located at 5-35 51st Avenue, in 2012 with the intention to provide residents with a shop to find gifts, clothes and decorative items for their homes.
The name was changed from LIC:living to elska in April to reflect the Scandinavian flavor that the women had cultivated.
The owners, both active members of the Long Island City community, attributed the closure to an “unexpected and unreasonable increase in rent” and went on to thank their supporters.
Until the store closes, elksa will be selling its items at heavily-discounted prices.
The following announcement was released by Tangen and Witzke today.
“With heavy hearts, we are writing to inform you that we will be closing our store, elska, (formerly LIC: living) on September 30, 2015.
We faced an unexpected and unreasonable increase in rent and are unable to renew our lease. For three years, we nurtured this store, watched it grow, and established many treasured connections within it. We are proud of the fact that we know so many of our customers by name, and that we offered products and merchandise that were not only beautiful, but also high in quality and socially responsible.
We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for embracing our store the way you have. By supporting it, you supported us in taking our idea for a store from a dream to reality. That means the world to us. We could not have made it three years without you, and considering the many things that work against small businesses; we consider elska a success in its relatively short existence.
We are still believers in the elska brand. We love the Scandinavian influence and aesthetic we have cultivated, and hope to find a new home for elska- whether it’s re-opening in a new location, or as a showroom to the trade. We are exploring a lot of exciting possibilities at the moment – so stay tuned!
So, now what? Well, we have to sell everything. EVERYTHING. Beginning August 18th our entire inventory will be 30% off (including our new Fall arrivals). Each week, we will further reduce prices until it is all sold. Please understand from here on out, we cannot place any special orders, hold items, gift-wrap, honor elska crown cards, or return items. In addition to our inventory we will also be selling all of our fixtures as well. If you are interested in anything, please inquire for pricing. Again, thank you. This is an emotional time for us and we appreciate your understanding and support as we bring this chapter to a close with our heads held high.
Gratefully, Rebekah + Jillian
