We complained on Friday, so I won’t mention how bleepin’ cold it is outside. So when it’s cold, what do we do? We go to the mall. Well, it’s last chance to hit Stride Rite to get some pricey kids’ shoes.
Sources tell lbotp that the venerable shoe seller is closing up shop at Marketplace Mall. I presume that there wasn’t enough $54 baby footwear flying off the shelves, here in the Land of Three Super Wal-Marts.
But don’t fret — you can still buy Stride Rite shoes locally at Andy’s Shoes in Champaign.
Sources also tell lbotp that rumor has it that BR (we will not write out the name of the store until we see a signed lease,giggle) is now coming to Marketplace Mall. Of course, we’ve been done this road before. BR was one of the stores that was supposed to anchor the new “Courtyard” area of the mall where Ann Taylor Loft, J. Jill and Coldwater Creek now sit.
(To send me a tip, drop me a line at lbotp16(at)gmail(dot)com.)
11 responses so far ↓
leeanthro // January 29, 2007 at 10:28 am
What’s “BR”? Give me a hint (it’s probably obvious, but I’m just out of the loop).
When is Stride Rite closing? Is the sale good? We buy our shoes there, but we didn’t realize until recently that Andy’s has both Stride Rite and Robeez.
leeanthro // January 29, 2007 at 10:32 am
Sorry, should have read the link. Although I used to like the original safari clothes that they sold and now I think they are a little above my price range and too dressy/trendy for my casual life. Let’s face it, once you have kids, you spend more on their fashionable clothes, which they outgrow in two months, then your own. “What Not to Wear” please save me!
Jax // January 29, 2007 at 10:42 am
I thought Andy’s closed. Didn’t they tear down the building? I know the original Andy retired. Did he come back?
lbotp // January 29, 2007 at 11:24 am
Andy’s Shoes moved to a new location — click the link for a map. As for the owner, I don’t know anything about that.
Lisa B. // January 29, 2007 at 11:44 am
Besides the always popular carousel, Stride Rite was the *only* reason we went to the mall as a family. It’s good to know about Andy’s, though. I’ve wondered what they sold but was afraid to approach their previous location on Kirby.
Chris // January 29, 2007 at 5:54 pm
I was actually at Andy’s on Saturday (it’s on Mattis now, near John St.) with my little guy. The guy who sold us the $38 sneakers said Stride Rite was actually moving to another location in the mall. Said they’d be closed for a while but would reopen, something about a switch in owners or franchise licensing. I forget. I’ve never gone to the Stride Rite in the mall. But I have taken the 3 yr old to the little play area there on bitter cold days. Not too bad, except when it gets crowded and there are too many older kids running around unsupervised.
Like the blog, by the way. I’ll be stopping by again.
By the way, Andy’s is not too bad. You can find some decent shoes on the sale rack. I found a great pair of suede all-purpose shoes, but $50! On the other hand, the last shoes I bought for my kid were $15 from Old Navy. Three weeks after we bought them they started falling apart.
liz // January 29, 2007 at 7:28 pm
I ‘m not 100% sure but I’ve heard that Andy retired but he sold the store to Claudia (long-time employee) and her son.
khanada // January 30, 2007 at 5:24 pm
Oh, I hope S.R. at the mall isn’t closing… we’ve always had such good luck dropping $45 bucks there for shoes. I’ll give Andy’s another try if I have to, but I wasn’t thrilled with them last time I went there. We had wanted some S.R. shoes and the sales person tried to bully us into Nikes and was annoying. bleh. Hopefully a one-time problem.
So some CU business questions…. wasn’t there a rumor of a botique-style hotel going in downtown Champaign? Anyone know anything more about it?
I read in the NG about a new Spanish restaurant going in the north side of downtown… any info?
khanada // January 30, 2007 at 5:28 pm
And indeed, writing $45 bucks is terribly redundant.
lbotp // January 30, 2007 at 9:49 pm
Funny. Yeah, I had a post about the boutique hotel awhile back and linked to it in the recent “rabbit ears” post.
I have as much info as you do about the new “Latin fusion” restaurant. I’m excited to go there, as the same people own one of my favorites — Milo’s in Urbana.
leeanthro // January 31, 2007 at 8:42 am
Someone told me that S.R. had their shoes 60% off. I called before trecking out there last night and the woman had no idea what I was talking about. She said only the winter shoes are marked down, but who really has any idea of what shoe size their child will be next winter.
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