Plaza del Lago’s Big Reveal: Oscar de la Renta, LoveShackFancy and a dozen others

Record readers have in recent months learned about inbound Plaza del Lago businesses one by one, knowing there was more to come.

The “more to come” just dropped.

Plaza ownership, WS Development, on Monday released the names of 13 incoming businesses — nine of which had not been leaked publicly and many of which will open in July.

According to the release, Oscar de la Renta, LoveShackFancy, Peter Millar and Hill House Home highlight an occupant mix that also includes previously announced brands like Hermés, SPACE 519 and rag & bone.

WS Development President Samantha David said Monday’s announcement was a major milestone as her team worked thoughtfully to curate the right mix for Wilmette’s historic shopping center that she called “an icon.”

“It is both humbling and inspiring to take over the care of an icon and strive to do right by it,” she said in a statement, “but that’s what we’ve done since the day we bought it and the lineup we announce (June 30) is everything we could have hoped for and more in terms of ushering this storied destination into its next chapter.”

The complete list of businesses in Monday’s announcement are:

• Oscar de la Renta (women’s fashion/beauty),
• Cynthia Rowley (women’s fashion/home),
• Hill House Home (women’s fashion/home),
• LoveShackFancy (women’s fashion/home/beauty),
• La Vie Style House (women’s fashion),
• Peter Millar (men’s/golf fashion),
• Pilatesville (Chicago-based, pilates),
• Studs (ear piercing),
• Veronica Beard (women’s fashion),
• James Perse (men’s/women’s fashion; opening July 9),
• Jenni Kayne (women’s fashion/home; opening July 11),
• rag & bone (men’s/women’s fashion; opening July 9), and
• SPACE 519 (Chicago-based, department store with dining; opening Aug. 1).

Hermés was not a part of Monday’s announcement but will be an anchor store in the plaza with a two-story, 8,000-square-foot space, according to The Record’s previous reporting.

And a WS Development spokesperson said another wave of announcements is in the near future.

For at least six of the new businesses (Oscar de La Renta, Cynthia Rowley, Hill House Home, James Perse, La Vie Style House, LoveShackFancy), their Plaza del Lago location will be their first in Chicagoland.

The shops will join a handful of other stores already active in the plaza, including Convito Cafe & Market, Burhop’s Seafood, StretchLab, Big City Optical, CVS, Jewel-Osco and Starbucks.

In a press release, David said while each new business is unique “they are each best in class,” and WS believes the overhauled Plaza del Lago will bring in new shoppers while also catering to the community.

“While we hope to attract a broad new audience with these beloved brands, we will never lose our commitment to serving our local community and are just as excited to see kids playing hopscotch on our sidewalks as we are to see customers patronizing our businesses,” she said. “This is and will always be a place to come and sit as much as it is a place to come and shop.”

Plaza del Lago — a historic property that claims to be the second oldest shopping center in the country and features an open-air concept around an indoor galleria — has seen significant changes since WS Development purchased the shopping center in 2022.

Since, longtime local stores Yellowbird Stationery, Hanig’s Footwear, Chantilly Lace, and Giggles and Giraffes/La Colonna jettisoned Plaza del Lago for downtown Wilmette, while Rosati’s Pizza closed its plaza location and Char Crews closed entirely, among other changes.

While the plaza is still open, it is currently under construction for facade, signage, parking and other improvements, and David and WS Development have said plans are in the works for a 2026 grand reopening.

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