Suburban Square News: The Mall Gets Its Coolest Store Yet

Great news for suburbanites: Eaves boutique is opening a Suburban Square location.

Suburban Square News: Eaves Opening in Ardmore.

Suburban Square news: Eaves opening a second location in the open-air mall. | Images via Eaves Instagram.

After a season that’s seen some great indie boutiques shutter (R.I.P. Aoki), it’s heartening to see a local brick-and-mortar not only flourish, but expand. Case in point: The news that Eaves, Wayne’s stellar sanctuary for brands like IRO and Isabel Marant, is opening a second location in Suburban Square. (Cue cheering.) 

I know what you’re thinking: Suburban Square? Really? Over the years, the open-air mall has slowly turned into more of a chain shopping center, with only a few local shops (including Elizabeth Johns, Govberg, El Quetzal) remaining among a large swath of national heavy-hitters (Apple, Urban, Kate Spade, Lululemon, GAP, Sunglass Hut). But the Suburban Square news is also heartening: If great local boutiques can afford the rents here, the shopping center – oft criticized for its lackluster lineup of shops – might be able to lure back Main Line shoppers who have long since ditched it for King of Prussia.

It makes sense for an indie to sandwich itself between national chains: The woman heading to Sweetgreen for lunch can easily pop into the cool-looking boutique next door (Eaves Suburban Square is, in fact, located next to Sweetgreen, in the old White House Black Market space), while Eaves’s Wayne location is tucked away, a destination for in-the-know shoppers.

As for what to expect in the new Eaves Suburban Square location, think a slight twist on the Wayne shop, with different collections and designers curated for the space. Construction has begun and owner Susan Ahn plans to soft-open in late August.