Business Profile: Rue Noir Brings Sexy to Naperville

Lingerie is a family business for Christina Diamond.

The wife, mom and partner in lives her business 24-7.  Her family shares the load. Even daughter Nadia, 3, will sometimes try her best to market products to shoppers.

“My kid will give you a hard sales pitch,” Diamond said during an interview at the store. “She will ask you to buy panties because she has to go to college.”

Rue Noir, on Chicago Avenue across from the downtown parking garage, offers a variety of lingerie as well as other items, such as candles, swimming suits, robes and pajamas.

The boutique opened on Black Friday last fall and sales have been going well, in both the store's first and most recent quarters, Diamond said. More recently, sales have slowed since the store caters to the college students who have left for the summer.

Diamond and her husband Jason Esquijarosa own the corporation with two partners who are close friends. Diamond and her husband run the shop, while the partners handle more of the technical and back office work, she said.

The decision to open the store happened quickly and once they had the location the partners had to move fast to get the store up and running, Esquijarosa said. They had about a week to prepare the store and Diamond was working all hours of the day and night.

“We wanted to do something Victoria Secret-like, but with a boutiquey feel,” she said.

Many of the products the store sells are from the same manufacturer as Victoria Secret, René Rofé, Diamond said.

“We wanted to attack all price ranges,” she said.

Items range from about $18 to $150.

The store is very dark inside with black and purple the main color scheme. The name was chosen because the word noir tends to conjure up sexy images, Diamond said.

Diamond went to Oswego High School and was living with her family in Florida, but the couple decided to move to Naperville to raise their daughter. The family lived in Miami, where Esquijarosa grew up. The couple knew that there would be more kid-friendly options for their daughter in Illinois.

With a background in marketing, working for Denny’s Inc., Diamond said she’s been good at helping others make money and decided it was time to do the work for herself.

Naperville is a young, vibrant community and other than going to the mall, there weren’t really options for women to shop for lingerie, she said. When the store was opening, Tresor, another downtown lingerie shop, was going out of business and Rue Noir bought out that store’s inventory.

Being her own boss, Diamond often brings her daughter to work with her. And, when Esquijarosa isn’t working as a paramedic, he can often be found selling lingerie in the store.

A consummate shopper, Diamond said she did a lot of market research before opening the store, adding, “I don’t carry anything I wouldn’t buy myself.”

She is also working to sell locally made products from local designers, such as Mila Rose Designs and products made in the United States. Rue Noir is also a drop-off location for donations for tornado victims in Joplin, Mo.

The store will shut down for special parties, such as divorce parties, bachelorette parties or any other occasion. Diamond said the store is open to special ordering products upon request.

Although the business is still young, Diamond said the goal is to grow and expand to other locations in time.

 “I am here all the time but it is very rewarding,” she said. “It’s a breath of fresh air and I think as we go along we will set a new standard for what a corporation is. We are family.”

On July 8 the store will host a girls night out event that will be burlesque themed and will include food and drinks. Check with the store for details.

Rue Noir is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.