On a typical day, each shoe rack in the stock room of Hanig’s Footwear would have roughly 120 shoe boxes. But now the racks are empty ahead of the Magnificent Mile store’s closing, salesperson Mike Chavez said.
“After a while, it’s not a job,” Chavez, 71, said. “You just come to hang out here with your family.”
Located in the former Hancock Center building at 875 N. Michigan Ave., Hanig’s Footwear has operated along the retail-lined street for 50 years.
The store is set to close either at the end of September, or early October, owner Peter Hanig said. Its Wilmette location, 1181 Wilmette Ave., will remain open.
Hanig, 77, said that, while his son, Daniel, runs the business, he is still involved and had a wonderful time on the Mag Mile.
“Small businesses are no longer viable on Michigan Avenue,” said Hanig, who brought the Cows on Parade public art exhibition to Chicago in 1999 after being inspired by a similar display in Zurich, Switzerland.
“I’m sad about it,” he said of closing the store. “This has been a major part of my life for a long time. We had an incredible time. We met so many people over the years as a result of it, and we were very lucky to be there.”
The Mag Mile has seen a revolving door of retailers in recent years, with most closing up shop. Earlier this month, Colores Mexicanos said on Instagram that the retailer was “priced out” and that, after four years, it will move from its location at 605 Michigan Ave.
Gregory Kirsch, managing broker for7 Chicago-based Kirsch Agency, said the northern part of Michigan Avenue, where Hanig’s Footwear is located, has suffered more since large retailers like Macy’s and Uniqlo closed their stores. He said retail vacancy along Mag Mile is 29.2%.
“It’s a bloodbath up there,” Kirsch said. “I’d say that experiential retail and entertainment-style [retail] continues to be a driver. Ticketed experiences, things like Harry Potter, are a big deal.”
He said there is still room for growth and recovery along the street. Kirsch estimates rent around the north section of Michigan Avenue ranges from $250 to $275 per square foot, which is on the low end.
‘Love this business’
Hanig’s opened its first Mag Mile location in 1975 as a “four-seat men’s shoe department” at 730 N. Michigan Ave. Three years later, it moved to its own space at 660 N. Michigan Ave. In 2007, the store relocated to its current 2,200-square-foot shop.
Hanig said he was aiming to do the same thing with Cows on Parade that he tried to do with the shoe store — connect people.
“I thought it was phenomenal what that did for the city,” Hanig said of the wildly popular public art display that saw artists decorate cow sculptures that could be found in numerous locations. “It brought people in from the outlying areas of the city who had never been downtown. People told me that they hadn’t even been downtown in 20 years, and that was the reason they came downtown.”
Chavez, who lives in West Elsdon, has worked for Hanig’s for 34 years. After the store closes, he’s unsure if he’ll be able to make the trek from his home to the Wilmette location.
He said there’s a strong rapport between the sales associates and their customers.
“A lot of our customers, we don’t look at them as customers,” Chavez said. “We look at them as friends because they’ve been with us for so long.”
As soon as Streeterville resident Dixie Johnson entered the store Thursday, Chavez began asking her questions about what was going on in her life, even recognizing her shoes as a pair he had sold her.
Johnson said losing small businesses in the area means losing the familiarity and friendship that comes with shopping locally. She said finding substitutes for local businesses that have closed down over the years has been difficult.
“It changes the neighborhood and daily life,” Johnson said. “There are some businesses that have closed that I’ve really liked, and you miss them.”
South Shore resident Ike Aaron has been a salesperson at Hanig’s for 34 years. He said he would have a hard time commuting to the Wilmette store, after the Michigan Avenue site closes.
“I love this business,” he said. “I just hate to see them close.”
June Ozmon bought a pair of shoes at Hanig’s on Thursday and said their quality is unmatched. The retailer carries brands such as Thierry Rabotin, Mephisto, Hoka and On.
Ozmon, a Gold Coast resident, said she’s been shopping at the store for nearly 25 years and will likely make the trip to Wilmette.
“I like the people that work there because they’re like family,” she said.