“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.’
“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.
“‘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.’ (Kuznikov, Chicago Sun-Times, 7/31/25)
“The commitment to offering outstanding customer service and wonderful shoes began in 1944 with Irv and “Billie” Hanig. Driven to offer the finest assortment of footwear in Chicago, the couple opened their first store on the north side of Chicago just three blocks from the family’s home on Pine Grove Avenue. Over the next 19 years, Irv opened additional stores in Chicago and New York, including the country’s first Johnston and Murphy store in Chicago’s famed Palmer House Hotel.
“Irv’s son, Peter, joined the business in 1971 to help open their LaSalle Street store. In 1978 he then opened the company’s flagship store on Michigan Avenue. Over the past four decades, Peter has solidified the Hanig name as a trademark of customer service and satisfaction, traveling to Europe each year to find the latest in unique fashion trends combined with comfort.
“In 2006 Peter’s son Daniel joined the company in order to create their website, Hanigs.com. Daniel’s responsibilities now include buying and marketing, along with design.
“While there is plenty to see inside any of the Hanigs stores, Peter and his son Daniel are dedicated to the city beyond their company walls. At Hanig’s Footwear, a commitment to bettering Chicago has always been a top priority. Peter spearheaded “Cows on Parade” in Chicago in 1999, a public art exhibit that placed 330 life-sized cow sculptures throughout the city. His desire to showcase these innovative pieces of artwork to members of the community was a great success; “Cows on Parade” brought in over 250 million tourist dollars to the city, and the event’s auction raised over 3.5 million dollars for charity organizations.
“‘We have an investment in the community that national chains don’t have,’ Peter says. ‘We live here and our customers are our neighbors. Relationships are the strength of any business, and we have a close relationship with the city of Chicago.’ (Hanig’s Footwear Website)