Shoppers interested in buying items from the Some Girls boutique in Ithaca will now have to shop online or at their other two locations in Troy, N.Y., and Syracuse, N.Y.

Ithaca’s Some Girls boutique in Collegetown officially closed last Saturday because it could not compete with other retail stores like the new Urban Outfitters, Margaret Partyka, current owner of the Some Girls chain, said.

For more than two years, the Some Girls boutique chain, started by Diva DeLoayza in Albany, N.Y., was sustained by student shoppers from Ithaca College and

Cornell University. The store carried labels such as B.B. Dakota, Free People and American Apparel.

The store has been declining in sales for the past year. Sales dropped about 40 percent from their monthly average, Partyka said.

“To protect the stability of the business, we decided to go ahead and close that store and really put in the energy and our attention fully to our Troy and Syracuse store,” she said.

While there is a market in Ithaca for cocktail dresses, like those found in the Some Girls boutique, manager Mandy Bennison said new stores are difficult to compete with.

“A lot of the stores in The Commons have started selling the same merchandise we have,” Bennison said. “It’s just been a struggle, so rather than struggle and try to keep open, we’re just going to close down.”

Tatianna Sy ’09, an employee of Some Girls, said she has enjoyed working with shoppers as a personal stylist. She said Some Girls was known for its frequent sales and personable employees.

“Everybody who comes in here is a regular and knows that they can come and count on us to figure out an outfit for whatever they’re doing,” Sy said. “There is a level of trust that we’ve built with our customers.”

Despite the store closing, freshman Laura Chrissley said she will remain a faithful customer.

“They have a lot of really unique things you can’t find in the malls or even in The Commons,” Chrissley said.

Chrissley, a Syracuse native, said the Ithaca store made her feel more at home when studying at a new school.

Bennison said that while many people have been upset about the store’s closing, business is business.

“A lot of people have been coming in and saying that we’re their favorite place in Ithaca and that we’re their favorite place to shop,” Bennison said.  

Partyka, DeLoayza’s original assistant, said she eventually wants to bring the popular boutique back to Tompkins County.

“I can’t say right now, but I do hope to return to Ithaca when the economy gets a little stronger and when we have a little more working capital under our belt,” Partyka said.

Partyka said having a business in today’s economy is the “survival of the fittest.”

For the time being, the Ithaca Renting Company has not disclosed information about what will happen to the store’s location in Collegetown, Partyka said.

However, Bennison said loyal customers can still visit Some Girls at the Troy or Syracuse locations or shop online.

“We had a lot of fun in Ithaca for the past couple of years, and unfortunately the store has to go,” Bennison said.