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Sunny Shoes Leaving Wicker Park After 24 Years, Storefront Up for Rent

By Alisa Hauser | October 22, 2014 4:19pm
 Sunny Shoes at 1282 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Wicker Park is closing.
Sunny Shoes in Wicker Park Closing Sale
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WICKER PARK — A Milwaukee Avenue shoe store just north of Wicker Park's Polish Triangle is bearing a "Closing Sale" and "For Rent" sign in its window, with a plan to shutter just before the new year after 24 years in the neighborhood.

Founded in 1992, Sunny Shoes, which offers a wide selection of women's shoes including stiletto heels and "fun and funky" styles, according to its fan reviews, is closing Dec. 31, the shop's owner said. 

Sunny Shoes' owner, who asked not to be identified, declined to comment further on the impending closure and referred inquiries to his landlord, who is looking for a new tenant.

"The area is being fixed up; new people are coming in. Everyone is cleaning up their property and making it look better. I see a change every time I go down there," said Nora Tomasik, whose family owns the three-story, 1880s-era building at 1282 N. Milwaukee Ave.

Tomasik said she just put up the "For Rent" sign about two weeks ago and is already getting several inquires from folks interested in renting the 2,200-square-foot storefront.

"[Sunny Shoes] has been there for a long time and they want to leave. I hope someone nice comes along and rents here," Tomasik said.

Sunny Shoes counts D&S Yo-Yo Merchandise, a wig and beauty shop at 1284 N. Milwaukee Ave., and a vintage building at 1276 N. Milwaukee Ave., home to the new 826CHI headquarters and Shuga Records, as its immediate neighbors.

The store is across from the Wicker Commons, a shopping mall that has welcomed several new tenants in recent months such as Pet Supplies Plus, Sleepy's and the Vitamin Shoppe, which replaced a Blockbuster.

Further new developments near the storefront include LG Development's seven-story, 58-unit apartment and retail complex that is in the works to replace a row of old buildings at 1237-53 N. Milwaukee Ave..

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