Presence

The girls that work here are always super friendly and helpful, never pushy or annoying. Fair prices, nice selection. Love their accessories too.

Everyone was friendly and helpful. They have super cute stuff at reasonable prices! And a couch for the boyfriends to sit! I walked out with four items and spent less than $ 100. I’ll definitely go back next time I’m in town.

I can’t go here too often, because I WILL go broke if I do. I always find tons of things in the store I want, and everyone who works here is really friendly. They have a great selection of clothes, jewelry, purses, scarves, and cute/​funny novelty items. Their clothing is all very well-​made, so I wouldn’t say they’re overly priced for that reason. It is more than I’m typically used to spending on clothes, but for the quality, I’ll spend it. I will say it’d be a little hard for me to spend too much time in here, because the employees are very attentive and constantly ask if they can help you with anything. It’s not a bad thing, but sometimes I would like to just look for a while without being asked if I’m alright. Other than that, I love this place. I always know I’ll find something here, so it’s great for those days when I just need a little retail therapy or am looking for something specific. I don’t know what I would do if it ever closed.

Lovely jewellery and bags, cheap prices but the quality was also a little flimsy, especially the sunglasses. A lot of them were already damaged or missing rhinestones, so it was a little off-​putting. Would stop by again because there was some awesome edgy jewellery. Clothes weren’t anything special, the quality/​price ratio was mediocre and style wasn’t for my taste.

You can always find something cute in here, and they’ve really stepped up their fashion game. Seriously, what cute accessories! While some are a little too pricy for the quality, you can occasionally find a really good deal here. Love the selection.
I took of one star for the employees. I get the impression that presence is going to go out of business soon because the sales girls are overbearing and won’t let you shop in peace :(. There’s a desperation in the air that becomes more and more apparent with every shopping interruption until finally you’re just ready to freak out and tell them to back off.
Is it the sales girl’s faults? Probably not. I get the impression that someone is telling them they have to swoop in on people. Unfortunately it’s just making me frustrated.

I love this place. Great clothes and jewelry at reasonable prices. Also gets bonus points for being locally owned.

This is possibly my favorite clothing store in Chicago. I never fail to find something I like here. The clothes are not all great quality, but they are always super cute and fresh, and for the most part they are fairly priced. Staff members are always helpful and attentive without being overbearing. I like that their stock changes frequently — I have fun coming in and browsing every few weeks when I’m in the neighborhood. My only issue is quality of merchandise — I’ve had a few things rip or fall apart or lose their shape after not much wear — but that’s to be expected with anything under $ 50, I guess. Definitely recommended!

This place sucks. They have some cute items but the quality of everything is TERRIBLE. I tried to return a dress today because there was a flaw in the fabric. I had just bought it there last week and still had the tags but because I lost the receipt, they would not even let me make an exchange. I bought it on a credit card and they could access that information but they didn’t want to bother with it. They could care less about return business. I will not be shopping there again.

I have been shopping at Presence for at least ten years. I can always find fun accessories and cute dresses for any occasion at fairly reasonable prices. Presence carries some great names, like Everly, Tulle, and YA California. They frequently have great sales and I love taking advantage of the frequent buyers card.
All that being said, the lack of customer service is a real downer here. The women working here used to be helpful. I’ve even had them help me put together outfits for special occasions. My experience yesterday left much to be desired. By the time someone came to check on me or ask if I needed another size in the dressing room, I had tried on all six dresses. The two ladies working clung together like girls in junior high. I had to interrupt them so that I could pay for my merchandise. And, when I did pay, I had to ask for a frequent buyers card… After spending around 100 bucks. I have never had to ask for a stamp or card. All the woman said in response was, «Oh, yeah.»
I understand people make mistakes. I understand people need to be trained to follow protocol but, after leaving yesterday, it felt like less of a pleasant and more of a diy shopping experience despite the fact that the shop was not busy.
If my spending money at your boutique is putting your salespeople out, maybe I should go somewhere else. Even though I left with some cute merchandise, the way I was treated was a big disappointment.

My girl in to visit from DC and I happened upon this place as I was showing her Andersonville, as she has sen enough of South Loop. Since it was her birthday, I bought her a purse she eyed while she was on the changing room. She also tried on several dresses and we selected one. All in all, it started as a good experience.
However, she flew back to DC later that evening and, while in the airport, the zipper broke. Upon her return to Chicago two weeks later, we made the trip back to Andersonville to return it. Turns out, the manager insisted she only could give us store credit because the purse had «been used» and they didn’t believe the manufacturer of the one day’s use zipper would take the purse back.
Given that my girl lives in DC and I in South Loop, I asked for a refund thinking it would be more practical. Having insisted on store policy and taken my contact information for the owner to call me, we left. Well, the owner never called.
While I’m not much of a shopper, my girl liked the store and the folks working there were helpful enough. That said, I think a purse lasting only one day is more than a little sketchy and I’d be reluctant to buy anything from there again… not to mention their attitude when in fact it’s discovered they indeed sold a lemon. I just hope my girl’s dress doesn’t rip the first time she wears it.
4 for style, 3 for service (overall) mitigated by 0 for dubious quality.

A friend told me to check this place out, so I did. They have a cute selection of clothes and accessories at reasonable prices. The two girls that were working were super friendly and nice! I didn’t get the name of the girl that rang me up, but she was awesome. She complimented the dress I bought, explained their loyalty card to me, and even let me know that since I work in the area I get 10% off my purchases! It was a good experience that kept getting better.

Presence was ok. While I didn’t get wowed by the clothing selection I did find some great accessories. Two necklaces that were unique and well priced, and a jazzy little scarf that I am sure I will get a lot of use out of this winter.
The clothing sizes were odd when I was there. Maybe there were low on stock? Everything seemed either XXL or SSS.

So incredibly cute! Great quality clothing, too. The staff is friendly and helpful, especially when trying to decide between options!

I love this little boutique. Allways great to peruse while in Aville. Love the jewelry and great customer service!

I needed a new work wardrobe that consisted in tight black pencil skirt and Black button down top. I was only blocks away from this place after getting my haircut and I decided to give this spot a try. As soon as I walked in, I was gretted by a sales associated who asked if I needed any help looking for things. When I told her what I was looking for, she was very helpful and found me a skirt and two tops. Then I went into the dressing room to try them on. As I was changing, she handed me 3 more tops and a blazer with two more skirts! She patiently waited for me as I tried on different combos and gave me her opinions on what she thought was flattering. I overall found her to be very helpful and honest and Attentive to my needs and tastes and budget.
I also found a lot of affordable items in there as well. A lot of the items were between $ 25 and $ 30, and very stylish.
I usually hate shopping, but this experience has left wanting more! The cashier was very nice also.

I was SO happy to find this boutique in the dearth of women’s shopping options that is Edgewater/​Uptown/​Rogers Park. I usually shop at Banana Republic, but this past week at the last minute I needed a little red cocktail dress, had to go shopping after work, and didn’t feel like fighting the downtown traffic/​parking, making the hike to Evanston, or resorting to Marshall’s. Thank you, Unilocal!
Just my luck, they were having a dress sale and (maybe since I was the only shopper in the store?) the service was great. I found exactly what I wanted, plus some. They had a large variety of options, styles and colors and the prices were surprisingly reasonable. The store had a nice selection of jewelry and accessories also. How awesome to know that I can shop for a cocktail dress in the comfort of my own neighborhood!

The lack of service from this store disappointed me. I’m not sure if I wasn’t approached because it A) didn’t look like I needed help, B) was with my boyfriend or C) if I didn’t look like the type of person who would shop at this type of store.
Either way, I wasn’t even greeted when I entered the store on a Saturday afternoon. The employees appeared to be busy socializing as opposed to greeting me, telling me about the sales, etc.
With regard to the merchandise, the items I looked at looked pretty nice and appeared to be well priced. I didn’t find anything to buy through so I left empty handed.
The real kicker was that they said bye to us, but didn’t say hello. What a turn off. I do not think I will be returning no matter how cute the items looked.

I’m too. erm…endowed to fit into any of this store’s garments, and even if I could, there’s a lot of Forever21 quality with a boutique price. No thanks. That said, this place is my first stop for affordable jewelry, scarves, and hats. A few weeks ago I bought a chunky knit olive infinity scarf for around $ 25, and I’ve worn it almost every day since. You have to do a bit of hunting, but when it’s right, it’s so right.
Extra star for being a neighborhood fixture for 35 years!

I happened upon this cute little shop while looking for vintage shops. They have tons of cute accessories, jewelry, tights, gloves, hats, tops, and dresses. They had the cutest red dress in the window, but their dress prices were a little steep ($ 52 for a short, cotton spaghetti strap dress) for me to try it on. Accessories and gifts are well priced though. My favorite were the cheeky vintage scenes on their girly flasks! Worth a visit if you’re in the area.

The only way to stop me in my tracks en route to Hopleaf is to tempt me with one bad ass window display. And Presence successfully lured two thirsty girls right on in!
If I had to draw a comparison, I’d call this store the bastard lovechild of L.A.‘s Kitson and unisex retailer darling, Urban Outfitters. The boutique is filled with boho fashions, indie jewelry, inexpensive accessories and eclectic gifts. From kitschy bathroom reads (the art of kissing, anyone?) to a cheeky vintage-​styled condom case, just about anything and everything lives in this little shop of charm.
Looking for a long, summery frock? Presence has them. They corner the casual dress category like a champ, rounding out their selection with a nod to business casual and nighttime looks as well. The prices? Surprisingly low.
Presence, you’ve got presents. And your presents have presence, too.