Circles Boutique

I love this store. It stands alone here. For a city with a major university, Champaign has very little to offer in terms of shopping. If that sounds snotty to you, I ask you to look down at the ketchup stain on your Tasmanian Devil tee and reevaluate your priorities. You’re better than that, girl.
This having been said, I will disclose that I love this place more when my mother is in town. Although I’m in my 30s, she continues to feel guilty for living so far away from me — and that’s as good as gold. Literally, she spends a bar of gold on clothes for me at Circles. Am I ashamed? Yes, but the feeling is overcompensated by wearing a Skunkfunk dress over jeans under a smart Skunkfunk coat. That’s how I sleep at night. In my Skunkfunk fancies.

Every so often I’ll try this place out and I manage to always find something that I have to have. It’s a bit pricy, yes, but you’ll find things that are really unique in this place, and therefore (to me) worth it. Definitely try it out if you haven’t been before!

Circles is a GREAT place to find that one-​of-​a-​kind piece. Well made fabrics, that will last many years with amazing style. I love that I know I won’t be walking down the street and see 8 people in the same piece of clothing like items you find at the mall. Also, a great 50% off rack & shoe area that I can always find good deals at. Thanks Circles!

Circles is the best place in town to get beautiful, unique investment pieces that you’ll have for life. Not overly trendy but beautifully designed, the clothes will last you for MANY MANY seasons. Danelle TRULY cares about the quality of what she puts on her shelves and hangers, so you can be sure that anything you purchase there is the absolute best. The jewelry is incredible and the staff is helpful and honest when you need an opinion on something you are purchasing. LOVE it there!

I totally agree with Jade. The moment I walked throught the door I felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman…the store where she got rejected! The clerk was staring at me like I was some kind of a kleptomaniac. The shop was just okay for me. Some things were very chic and appropriatley priced for chic, others were casual but overpriced for such.

Others have complained about the prices here, but I have done insanely well during some of their sales. I got two pairs of boots, both for 75%, both of which I love and wear constantly. This place has a split personality – half of it is chic and interesting clothing very suitable for a fancy event anywhere. Definitely the only shop that fits this criteria in Champaign. The other half of it is hippie clothing that you might expect to see in a consignment shop in the untrendy part of Berkeley. So half of this place is for a party girl with some money who likes Betsy Johnson and the other half is for a well heeled Gestalt therapist with really long hair who likes Eileen Fisher. I have honestly seen lots of tie dye looking and overly-​ethnic clothing that is almost costumey but beautiful. You would need a huge personality to pull it off. This is maybe the only place in town to go if you need to buy a dress to attend a wedding and you are not actually part of the wedding. It is also the only place within a hundred miles where you could buy Cydwoq or Giraudon shoes.

The owner, Danielle, cops a bit of an attitude if you happen not to be the most snazzy dresser in town.
If you happen to walk into her store with flat sandals and shorts, she and her right-​hand woman will give you a staring treatment and monitor your every move.
It’s uncalled for, and it’s stupid. I don’t get it.
Her stuff is very pricey, and I swear I have caught her following me from a distance and «keeping an eye» on me just because I like to take my sweet time to look at and compare clothing. Or is it that I get special treatment because I have a bit of an accent?
It’s demeaning and unnecessary. It’s not worth the visit. Bella is more professional.

In a nutshell, Circles = cute but utterly unaffordable. They have a decent selection of brands: Isda&co, Betsey Johnson, Eileen Fischer, Free People, and Skunkfunk. If you’re familiar with these brands, you’ll know that you’re looking at pieces averaging in the $ 200-​some range (except for maybe Skunkfunk and Free People… tank top, anyway), and Circles unfortunately doesn’t have much of a sale section (though what they do have is usually 50% off).
Poor med students like me will usually have to just beeline straight to the sale section, but if you do have the cash, Circles will definitely be the place to find something very special and unique.
PS: They are now on Neil St, next to Pekara.

Jennifer North is way better. However unlike Justine, I do like the Bestey Johnson, the Theory, and most importantly the Eileen Fischer line. How can you not love comfort and sleekness all in one? Anyway, I will check back here whenever I stop by Café Kopi because after all they’re attached.

Since Circles doesn’t cater to the size 9/​10+ crowd, I am limited by what I can shop for there. Thankfully in late Fall ’07 I found my favorite pair of boots ever: an import from Spain for less than $ 300. They have cute accessories, bags, etc. but I can find all of that stuff at H&M for significantly cheaper (and probably a little cuter).
I definitely did not spend anywhere near $ 300 on those boots as my payment came in the form of gift certificates… BUT, based on the selection for fall, I will probably be back in Spring ’08, maybe even willing to shell out a bit for some great shoes.
Otherwise, I’d rather go to any other store and not feel bad for wearing a double-​digit size.

circles has saved me on more than one occasion. a betsey johnson dress here a custo skirt there… hours before i needed to arrive somewhere looking smart. beautiful jewelry, yummy sweaters, and fun bags too. it is places like this that make you feel like an idiot when you complain about living in champaign. the proprietress of this shop travels the world buying for her store, so that we can stroll in, pick up a few things, and look like we just traveled the world.
she also has her own clothing line which is worth checking out.