Mini department store — and its multiple dining options — will open soon in Plaza del Lago

The corner store will mean something a bit different at Plaza del Lago with its latest incoming business.

SPACE 519, a boutique department store with a Chicago location, plans to open later this summer with 6,000 square feet of shopping and dining in the shopping center’s corner space formerly occupied by Yellow Bird Stationery.

The store will include clothing, accessory, home goods and beauty departments as well as three unique dining concepts, two of which are sitdown options, according to a press release sent out by the business.

Spokesperson Whitley Bouma Herbert said SPACE 519 plans for an August opening following a courtship between owners Lance Lawson and Jim Wetzel and WS Development, the owners of Plaza del Lago that reportedly found SPACE 519 in a search for a reputable local brand.

The pairing was harmonious. Lawson said SPACE 519 also looking for the right opportunity in the North Shore.

“Jim and I are incredibly excited about this project,” he said in the press release. “For years we have looked for the right opportunity on the North Shore and the redevelopment of Plaza del Lago is a dream scenario. We are constantly traveling in search of the coolest brands and we cannot wait to share our findings with the lakefront communities when the store opens next year.” 

The release calls SPACE 519 a “meticulously curated fashion and lifestyle destination” that opened in 2010 on Michigan Avenue before moving in 2018 to Streeterville.

With the new location, the store introduced The Lunchroom, a breakfast-and-lunch restaurant with a patio that will be the primary dining option within the Plaza del Lago location.

The other options will be Lago Room, a 40-seat European-style cafe by day and wine and cocktail bar by night; and The Lunchbox, a complement to Lunchroom, though with a different menu that features grab-and-go food and coffees.

Shoppers can expect collections sourced from near and far, whether in the jewelry department or women’s wear. The release points to brands like Spinelli Kilcollin and Gabriela Artigas for the former and Jil Sander and Thom Browne for the latter.

While Plaza del Lago is currently open, WS Development’s revitalization of the historic shopping center is underway, with facade, signage, parking and other work ongoing.

In the revamped shopping center, SPACE 519 will join recently announced neighbors Hermés, rag & bone, Jenni Kayne and James Perse.

Several spaces throughout the center are open as there’s been a departure of several former Plaza businesses, including Yellow Bird, Chantilly Lace (both of which moved to downtown Wilmette), Cluckers Charcoal Chicken and Rosati’s.

Plaza mainstays Jewel-Osco, CVS, Convito Cafe and Burhop’s Seafood remain.

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