PALM BEACH, Fla. — A well-known French luxury fashion company that has had a store in Palm Beach for 40 years is moving out next month.
Located in the Esplanade along Worth Avenue is Louis Vuitton. But at the end of May, it is closing its doors and moving out after 40 years.
"I know, it was terrible news," shopper Mary Elizabeth Hulsey said.
Hulsey, who is from Nashville, Tennessee, frequents the well-known French luxurious store in South Florida.
"I flew down to see my friend Nina to make sure to get in there before we missed that opportunity," Hulsey said.
Yvonne Jones of O’Connor Capital Partners, which leases the space, confirmed to WPTV that company sales at this location have been doing well, but the decision to move out of Palm Beach came from corporate and would only tell WPTV they are shifting their focus on other stores.
For some of its loyal shoppers like Christina Ford, the store will be missed along Worth Avenue.
"It's devastating," Ford said. "I mean, you would think of any neighborhood that would be able to sustain it, this would be the neighborhood."
"It’s kind of sad. It's almost like an institution over there, a trademark that people come to Worth Avenue," Brooke Fischer, who works in Palm Beach, said. "You start at the top and you work down and you have Louis Vuitton. Especially working here and always going to see the window displays changing, it's something that is going to be missed."
WPTV contacted Louis Vuitton's headquarters in New York to find out more about the decision but did not hear back.
Which company will sign a lease for the space moving forward has yet to be seen.
"There's wonderful brands everywhere, but you got to have Louis," Hulsey said.