Barrington’s Peter Daniel store closing after 28 years downtown

After 39 years in the Northwest suburbs — the last 28 at the Ice House Mall in Barrington — the high-end clothing retailer Peter Daniel will be shutting down Saturday.

Co-owner Beth Johanson said the sudden and unforeseen decision was triggered by a rent dispute, but she hopes the store might soon reopen at a temporary location nearby.

“If they found another location, we would love to have them in the downtown,” Barrington’s Director of Community and Economic Development Peg Blanchard said. “It’s always tough to lose a longtime business in the community.”

The business, which was started in Palatine by Johanson’s now late father Peter Hammond and business partner Daniel Thomson, has built up a loyal following among its local clientele over the decades, Johanson said.

“Once people found us, they always came back,” she said.

She credits this both to the Ice House Mall’s convenient parking — a relative rarity in downtown Barrington — as well as the quality merchandise and personalized customer service the smaller store can provide.

Blanchard agreed that Peter Daniel represented the epitome of what a downtown business can be, in both the uniqueness of its product line and concern for its customers.

“I really think that is the lifeblood of our downtown,” Blanchard said of such stores.

And there’s a special draw for apparel stores, as customers become attached to them and can be assured of finding something all their own there, Blanchard added.

The permanent closing of Peter Daniel would raise the priority of finding new clothing retailers for Barrington’s pending redevelopment at the southwest corner of Hough and Main streets, she said.

Johanson said she never thought of the coming project as competition, but as a revitalization that would help current downtown businesses.

But whether Peter Daniel will enjoy an extended second run in downtown Barrington won’t be decided until after its current space at the Ice House Mall is cleared out at the end of the month, she said.

Management of the Ice House Mall could not be reached for comment on whether a new tenant has been found for that space.

Peter Daniel first moved to the upper level of the mall in 1984, but relocated to the lower level in 2000 in conjunction with a renovation and expansion of the store.