A well-liked makeup store in the downtown area will shut down by the end of this month because its rental agreement is ending.
Even though the store is in a busy place, many shoppers say the city's decisions have turned it into a "ghost town."
Ulta Beauty in Naperville to Shut Doors
An Ulta Beauty store in downtown Naperville, about 30 miles west of Chicago, Illinois, will close its doors on March 30.
Located at 103 South Washington Street, the store is closing due to the end of its lease, a spokesperson from Ulta confirmed to the Daily Herald.
But there's more talk about why this beauty shop is closing.
Naperville's Mayor, Scott Wehrli, says the economy's changing is behind this and other store closures in the area.
Following the closure of Ulta Beauty, a Barnes & Noble bookstore that had been a staple in downtown Naperville for 25 years, shut down in January.
The mayor believes these closures sign that big national stores are rethinking their presence in cities due to economic changes.
Despite these closures, many still say downtown Naperville is a favorite spot for shopping. Katie Wood, the head of the Downtown Naperville Alliance, notes a lot of interest in the area. The places to rent are almost all full, and people are really into the idea of "Main Street America."
"The shops and restaurants we see around us keep changing, and this isn't just happening in Naperville but everywhere," Katie Wood stated. She also mentioned that the building where Ulta is situated is very much sought after.
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Social Media Blames City for Closures
People living nearby are using social media to hold the city responsible for the closure of two stores.
One social media post said, "Now Ulta is leaving downtown Naperville. The long years of messy roadwork have turned it into a ghost town. Shopping in Wheaton is so much easier. Good luck with the tax money."
Following the store closures, another person directly blamed Mayor Scott Wehrli, saying, "Scott Wehrli's fault."
Viral TikTok Exposes Ulta's Wasteful Practice
A TikTok video recently became popular for showing a wasteful activity by the makeup store Ulta.
In the clip, a woman who says she works at Ulta is seen throwing away many makeup products. The video "Doing damages at my job on a Sunday night" mentions, "Ulta damages be so satisfying every time."
The beauty industry is known for creating a lot of waste, with makeup packaging making up 120 billion pieces of trash each year, according to Sustainable Earth.
People on social media explained that the thrown-away items were probably testers or returned products, but they still thought it was a waste.
One person said, "I know some of them are testers... but some of the returns and stuff I feel like could be donated to a women's shelter or something??!!"
Another shared, "I work at Ulta, and if you return anything, we must destroy it, even if you didn't open it. It's fun, but it HURTS."
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