AVONDALE — Customers — even hard-to-fit ones — usually find what they need at Kay Shoes within minutes.
"Boy, I wish I would have come here first," they say.
Monyca Price Flack loves a satisfied customer, but she finds the declaration a bit of a let down.
"That's the disappointment. People say, 'Oh, I live right around the corner,' but people don't hang out in their neighborhood. They don't shop here," Flack said.
Slowly, as Kay Shoes remodels and realigns its focus with the changing tastes of Avondale, that's changing. After 43 years at 2839 N. Milwaukee Ave., the building's facade is getting a face-lift as the store expands into finer name brands.
The neighborhood has "evolved from being primarily Polish to Hispanic, and now I call it a mosaic," Flack said.
"Now we're getting young couples, young families. A lot of students, a lot of people who work at the airport," Flack said.
Discount shoes will remain, from work boots to no-slip server shoes. For each pair, Flack has a perfect customer in mind. Dainty, strappy kitten heels for a high school girl's prom. Converse sneakers for back-to-school. Steel-toed boots for construction workers.
Because Flack knows shoes. Her grandfather began selling $5 shoes in 1972. His shoe empire grew and the family opened stores in West Town, Rogers Park and the West Side.
It's still a family business to this day — a literal mom-and-pop shop — with Flack's brother running Alamo Shoes in Andersonville and their parents handling back office work and buying. Her kids help out on holidays.
"It's all I grew up in. It was all I knew," Flack said.
Having a business steeped in family history carries over into daily operations in small ways that add character to the unfussy, no-frills store. Ancient shoe forms hang in pairs in the stock room, still used occasionally to mold shoes for "problem feet," as Flack calls them. There's even one to help with bunions.
The old-school customer service remains, too, making Kay Shoes one of the dwindling places in the city that offer customers the detailed attention of a "sit and fit."
"Very few people are even accustomed to having someone help them [at other stores]. Not only bringing out what you're looking for, but also suggesting a nice pair of black flats to go with your outfit," Flack said.
New merchandise and the remodeling will help revitalize the store's business, Flack's family hopes, but it comes at a cost. Scaffolding outside confuses customers, who are unsure if Kay Shoes is still open during remodeling.
Business has dropped by about 40 percent during construction, Flack said.
But, her co-worker said, the changes are starting to work.
"People are coming a little bit further past Diversey. When I started her, we hardly got any foot traffic. It seems to be getting better every day," Faye Filippi said.
On Wednesday, Flack and Filippi (who has also been in the shoe business for 30 years) examined their new fall inventory, from Crocs to Converse and Salvanni to Skechers.
Flack opened a pink shoe box and pulled out a bedazzled pink sneaker. She expertly tapped the toe so it lit up, the rhinestones flashing.
"Oh, these will do great. They love pink," she said, perhaps picturing the perfect customer already.
After all, Flack knows shoes. It's in her blood.
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