Katy's Boutique to close after 50 years in downtown Glen Ellyn

GLEN ELLYN – Katy's Boutique on Main Street has served three generations of families.

Owner Katy Balabinis said it is that close connection to her customers that has made the store special for shoppers.

"I loved what I was doing. I love people. I love to dress people," Balabinis said of her reason for opening the Glen Ellyn shop.

But after 50 years in business, Balabinis will close her doors in four to six weeks, with going-out-of-business sales continuing until then. She was diagnosed with cancer for the third time in March, and is undergoing chemotherapy.

Balabinis, originally from Tripolis, Greece, learned dress design in Athens at the Kelan Design School and under the tutelage of designer Harry Tsouxos.

The impetus for her move to Glen Ellyn presented itself after she traveled to the U.S. to attend her nephew's christening in the village.She came to make clothes for her sister and participate in the christening, and was encouraged to stay to improve her design skills.

At age 19, Balabinis moved to America and attended Ray-Vogue College of Design on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, before working for a designer in the city.

"I wanted to have a diploma. I was teaching other people. I would make clothes so fast," she said.

After hearing from a client that a retail space was available in Glen Ellyn, Balabinis opened her store in 1965 at 427 N. Main St., selling her own designs and later adding other labels.

In the 1970s, she developed her own clothing line, Katerina Ltd., which sold at select Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom locations, and at various boutiques across the country.

Balabinis cherishes the relationships she has with her customers, including children who come in for cookies. The store is known as the "cookie store" for kids looking to satisfy their sweet tooth.

She said her strong ties to families, paired with her goal to make every shopper look and feel great, is what has kept the boutique thriving for 50 years.

Balabinis said her store operates under the motto "If you don't look good, we don't look good."

Wheaton resident Rosemary Severino, a longtime Katy's customer, worked at the shop about 25 years ago and has continued to help out at the boutique for the last six years.

Severino said she has become close friends with Balabinis and that her daughter, daughter-in-law and granddaughters have all either been to the store or shopped there over the years.

"The focus in my heart is that we pray that Katy does well with her recent diagnosis," Severino said. "She has a lot of friends out there."

She said that though the store will close, she and all the other longtime customers and employees plan to stay in touch with Balabinis.

Balabinis hopes for the same thing. When asked what has been the most memorable aspect of owning her store through the years, she was quick to answer.

"The friendship with my customers," she said. "We do not advertise. It's all word of mouth."

Shoppers are also attracted to the prices, which range from $30 to $800, with imported clothing from Canada, New York and California. Balabinis said she continually receives letters and pictures from customers at events where they wore clothes from her store.

As she transitions to retirement, Balabinis hopes to travel and to make clothes for underprivileged children. But the shop will always hold a special place for her.

“I always love my store and I still love my store,” she said. "It's really a celebration of 50 years and a retirement."

Balabinis' nephew, Chris Kouros, said she has been like a second mother to him.

"Most people don't work 50 years in the same kind of job," he said. "This is really all about Katy's life. Nobody is going to do it like her."