Sole Mates
Think shoes obsess you? You’ve got nothing on these store owners and buyers, who can sum up your style in a glance. Their choices will always be right on trend, and they insist that comfort is as important as style
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SCOTT STARBUCK
THE OWNER OF CITY SOLES & NICHE
1566 North Damen Avenue, 773-489-2001; citysoles.com.
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Starbuck, who opened his adjoining stores in 1996, continually swims against the tide in his choices of styling for men and women and even of locations. But in the end, he is rewarded for his prescience with a devoted line of followers, including a celebrity or two.
IN THE BEGINNING "I was 18, and all of my middle-class buddies were at Kansas University [Starbuck is from Kansas City], with new cars, apartments, and wardrobe allowances, and I was moving around, working, buying for a shoe store, and learning quickly how to succeed or fail. By the time those guys graduated, I had my own business." RULE BREAKER "I go with my gut and buy the opposite of mainstream, and sometimes I get burned. But I learn. For example, normally I would turn away from ballet shoes, but they're a great product for us. We buy the original Repetto French ballet flats; they are expensive, but the Chinese versions can't compare in comfort, fit, or construc-tion." WOMEN ARE FROM MARS "Women feel defeated if they have to shop too fast-they want to see the whole gamut of a style, and guys will come in and say, ‘Do you have it in brown?' and be done with it." HIGH STYLE "Every shade of brown sells for us-tan, cream, beige, espresso, chocolate-but for high-fashion colors, nothing stands out like a rich, dark green. Color for shoes is still important, like a burgundy or a wine, and color gives the consumer a reason to buy. Come on, everyone has five pairs of black shoes." RISKY BUSINESS "Guys have gone from ath-leisure Pumas to dressed-up versions to wear with slacks or a sport coat. Right now the trend is British-brogue styles and wing-tippy looks to wear with jeans. People aren't trying to look crazier than they are; it's hip now not to be junked up with piercings, tattoos, and trashed $400 jeans." FIRST UP "We have helped pioneer lines, and sometimes they outgrow us. For example, we were the first to import Chie Mihara from Spain, and now it has started to sell to department stores. It had phenomenal military-influenced boots that were very understated, with worn brass buttons up the side and a small granny heel. They were $500, but for us were a winner. Ten years ago, I also knew that a busy corner like [Damen, North, and Milwaukee] would be a great location for walk-in traffic." COOL OR UNCOOL? "No matter how cool we think we are, we still sell four pairs of everyday black or brown shoes for every pair of yellow patent leather ones." FAMOUS FOLLOWERS "We don't have a super A list but a handwritten note on the wall of famous people who have shopped here-Liz Phair, Jeremy Piven, Dennis Franz, the Real World cast from Chicago. But sometimes, one of the kids will say, ‘Dude, that's the drummer from God-smack' or something, and I won't have a clue." WHAT'S THE BEST A SHOE CAN DO FOR YOU? "Get you laid."
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