The keg in the boutique looked as out of place as . . . well . . . a keg in a boutique. There it sat–squat, dented, beautiful–amid frilly blouses and sassy skirts. And it was lonely. Normally kegs are like electric bug zappers, with swarms of buzzing bodies lingering around them. But at Fuschia Boutique (538 Duane St., Glen Ellyn) the barrel of Miller Lite barely got a second glance from the clothes horses on their way to the dressing rooms.
Women.
The idea came from Ashlee Rooney, owner of the boutique and rabid Pittsburgh Steelers fan. (Her dog is named Bettis, for the Steelers running back.) “It’s a sweater promotion, during the football season, so we thought `Tailgate!'” said the 32-year-old, who supplied potato chips and onion dip along with the beer in the hopes of luring men into her shop.
But there wasn’t a guy in sight. The pink pennants hanging in the front window didn’t trick any Notre Dame fans into stepping inside. The Weber grill stuffed with a floral display couldn’t have helped, either. And the trunk show featuring designer sashes failed to excite any Bears backers.
It was a good effort, but even the promise of free beer wasn’t enough to overcome man’s inbred aversion to boutiques. “Men hate to shop, so we try to make it as painless as humanly possible,” explained Rooney, wearing a Steelers jersey. “Guys can phone in their orders for their wives or girlfriends, and we’ll wrap them up so it looks like they put a lot of effort into it when they actually did nothing.”
That’s probably a better lure for most men–the promise of doing nothing.