Many of the students who come to the University from Chicago and its surrounding suburbs are accustomed to a variety of stores and shops.

When they arrive on the University’s campus, however, many are quite surprised at their shopping options (or lack thereof).

Jessica Flower Aguilar, junior in LAS, is the creator of the “I Go Home To Shop b/c Champaign Malls Suck” Facebook group.

Aguilar, from Orland Park, Ill., said she created the group, which has 89 members, after realizing that she did not feel she had enough options at the malls in Champaign-Urbana.

“Girls like to shop,” she said. “And many of my friends go home to do their shopping or turn to alternatives like online shopping to buy clothes.”

Aguilar said she wished there were stores like a Bebe or Urban Outfitters in the area.

Kathy Smola, junior in Communications, is from Chicago. She said that when she arrived at the University, she was very disappointed in the variety of stores at Market Place Mall.

“I absolutely hate the shopping here,” she said. “There’s just not a great selection.”

Smola said she usually goes home to Chicago to shop.

This is, however, not always an option, so when she does go to the mall, she said she usually just goes to a few stores, including Wet Seal.

“It’s hard to find cute clothes in this town,” she said. “Every store seems to have the same thing.”

Although Smola does not have good feelings toward Market Place Mall, she is optimistic about General Eccentric, a new store in Urbana.

The store, located at 701 S. Gregory St., Urbana, carries a great deal of clothing for women.

Ashley Bergman, the store’s manager, said General Eccentric is unique because unlike major department stores, they only order three to six of each item.

“When you buy something from our store, you can be pretty sure that you won’t see everyone else on the Quad wearing it, too,” she said.

Bergman also said that the store receives new shipments a few times per week, so the sales floor is always changing.

“I do like General Eccentric because they have unique clothes that you can’t find at the mall,” Smola said. “They have a good selection and I really like the jewelry, too.”

Sabrina Ahmed, junior in LAS, agreed, and added that she likes shopping at the outlet mall in Tuscola, about a 20-minute drive from campus.

“The outlet stores have cheaper prices, so I can afford to buy clothes on my small college budget,” she said.

Nora Dukowitz, the marketing manager of the Market Place Mall, said that she is well aware of students’ concerns.

She said that she is working on getting more student-friendly stores in the mall, but that she is unable to comment on which stores specifically.

“We’re always trying to look for what people want and listen to them,” she said. “We are aware that the college community has some stores at the tops of their lists, and we try to do what we can for them.”

Dukowitz said the Courtyard – with Coldwater Creek and Ann Taylor – is a new development. She also mentioned that there is a new Limited store being built in the mall, and that soon there will be an Express for Women store.

“It’s just one store, but I think many women will be thrilled to finally have a women’s line,” she said.