It forges alliances and fuels rivalries. It's a phenomenon in places from Brazil to Fiji, and in some places, it defines a person's identity. It's an obsession that equally attracts the young and old. Where it's known as football, it's by far the most popular sport, overshadowing any other. In the United States, soccer is gaining attention by the day—and nowhere is this more apparent than at Chicago Soccer in Lincoln Square.
Chicago Soccer grew from the passion and enthusiasm that co-owners Imre Hidvegi and Edgar Alvarez have for the sport. On any given day, Chicago Soccer pulses with excitement. Entire teams of all ages come in to gear up. Kids kick around soccer balls and test out shoes on the run of synthetic sports turf right down the middle of the shoe department. "We wanted our customers to be able to put on a pair of cleats and feel what it feels like to dig into the turf," says Imre. "The way we set it up, it's pretty close to what that actually feels like."
The atmosphere is not unlike a chic shop on Michigan Avenue, but the big difference is that every square inch of merchandise here is devoted to soccer: jerseys, shorts, balls, shoes, shin guards, socks, and teamwear for fans of club and national teams everywhere. Little concept shops pop up from time to time as a collaborative effort with different brands. For the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Chicago Soccer's entire facade was emblazoned in gold with the Nike slogan "Joga bonito," or "Play beautifully" in Portuguese. That makes Chicago Soccer a popular destination for entire soccer teams of all ages. In July, they were visited by teams from a youth academy in Mexico City. "Several big groups of under 12s and under 14s are here for three weeks for a city tournament," explains Imre. While they're in Chicago, a required stop on their itinerary is Chicago Soccer. Their response is electric as little clusters of kids bop around the store, pointing out a jersey here or a ball there.
Locally, the store is the official provider of merchandise to the Chicago Fire. Whenever there's a game at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Chicago Soccer is there selling merchandise in the concessions. "We've been involved with them from the beginning," explains Edgar. They print the jerseys for the players and those sold to fans. Chicago Fire team members stop by regularly to pick up new gear.
Soccer's strong popularity in Chicago is connected with the city's history as a destination for people from cultures all over the world. Reflecting that heritage, the staff at Chicago Soccer is as representative as the United Nations, with employees from Cameroon, Mexico, Jamaica, Columbia, Korea, Japan, and the Netherlands—to name just a few places. "Soccer is such a diverse sport that I've gotten to know so many people from around the world," Edgar says. "I think being able to be in the sport and enjoy the game makes you realize at the end of the day we're all just people."
Both Imre and Edgar are a testament to soccer's history as a bridge across cultures. Imre grew up in Hyde Park as the son of a Brazilian mom and Hungarian dad who both worked at the University of Chicago. "My dad played soccer with a Croatian team, so we traveled to soccer fields all over the city to watch him play," recalls Imre. "One of the big fields for games at that time was at Welles Park." Edgar was born in Guatemala, where his dad was a professional player for a Guatemala City team. "Soccer was really different there," explains Edgar. "The local teams were owned by big companies that supported the players. And the players were official employees of the company." His family moved to Chicago where he went to high school, college, and then eventually became a pro goalkeeper for an indoor soccer league called the Chicago Power. "This pre-dated the beginning of professional soccer in Chicago," says Edgar. "The Fire management came from this team." During that time, he also worked at a soccer store on Clark and Devon called Running Sports. He worked there throughout high school and college, then was promoted to the store's manager. He'd also coach local youth teams in his free time. "I would work at the store all day and then go play soccer at night," explains Edgar. "It was a full day, but at the time I had no kids, no family so it was all about the game."
Imre was a customer of Edgar's at Running Sports. The two of them got to know each other and tossed around the idea of opening their own store. "I was running an import/export business at the time," Imre says, "And I started to get tired of the back and forth to and from Brazil." They started scouting for a location. "We were driving down Western one day and saw the 'For Rent' sign," recalls Imre. "I knew this was a great area, with all of the transportation lines here, and I knew the neighborhood was really multicultural and very European. It's a great neighborhood for soccer." Chicago Soccer opened in June 1994 in a small space just north of the current store on Western.
As business owners, both brought strong experience to create a successful shop. While Edgar studied business in college and had years of running a soccer store under his belt, Imre brought his experience of importing merchandise along with connections to a strong personal network that included relationships with schools throughout Chicago. Their business acumen paired up with soccer's growing popularity in the U.S. translated into a big success. Edgar has seen soccer's popularity grow to the point where it's literally hitting the streets. "The culture has changed tremendously," he says. "Before, people would just come in to buy a t-shirt and pair of shorts so they could play. Now, people buy soccer gear to wear on the streets. We're selling replica jerseys for the top players non-stop." In addition to the Chicago Fire, which keeps attracting crowds of nearly 20,000, Chicago is adding a new women's soccer team in 2009, the Chicago Stars.
All of this expansion meant that it was time for Chicago Soccer to move to a larger space. "We were bursting at the seams," recalls Imre. "Then in 2003 the Allen's Paints building came up for sale and we were able to afford it. It was a perfect scenario. We loved the neighborhood and could stay on Western Avenue. We thought, why should we move somewhere else when we could purchase something directly next door?" Allen's Paints was a longstanding fixture in Lincoln Square, with its original location in the Penn Dutchman building across Western. The Allen family built this store and warehouse in 1954 and then moved across the street. The building is a sturdy Chicago-style warehouse of which Chicago Soccer uses every square inch of space, the first floor devoted to the shop and the second floor to offices and storage. Imre and Edgar also opened three other locations in the area: one in the Pilsen neighborhood, one in Cicero, and one in Melrose Park.
Of course the big brands like Adidas, Nike, and Puma are represented at Chicago Soccer, but Edgar and Imre are always on the hunt for breakthrough brands with outstanding products. "We try to keep in a wide variety of merchandise, so we're definitely not limited to one or two brands," explains Imre. "We want our customers to be able to try a lot of options to figure out what works for them." "We'd leave the door open to try any brand as long as they do things right," says Edgar. Concord footwear, Lotto from Italy, and Umbro from the U.K. are just a few brands they carry. Calle from Salt Lake City, Utah is a new brand that celebrates street soccer with an iconic pigeon, said to be the audience of street players everywhere. Joma is also a favorite. "I went to visit Joma in Toledo, Spain, and they were just the most humble people I've ever met," recalls Edgar. "It's run by a family that believes it's not just about the business, it's about the whole relationship, so I spent as much time sharing meals and drinking wine with the family as anything else."
Most importantly, the staff at Chicago Soccer will help you find what's right for you. "We train our staff to be attentive, because good service is one of the most important parts of our business," says Edgar. "When you walk in a store and you're treated well, you want to go back—you want to hang out there." "You can walk in our store and someone knowledgeable will be able to speak to you about our products, their technologies, and benefits. We pride ourselves on good service," says Imre.
Chicago Soccer caters to teams throughout the city. There's a team room upstairs where teams can sit down and look at their options for jerseys or gear. Upstairs they also do heat transfers of names, numbers, logos, and schools on jerseys that you can bring in yourself of buy there. The shop has a big program in place to donate to teams in Chicago and around the world, and it sponsors dozens of teams ranging from Chicago public school teams, to Mexican leagues, and African leagues. "In any given year there's a lot going on. We try to support the teams that need our help most and donate to them," explains Edgar.
Soccer in Chicago is growing into a phenomenon, and Imre and Edgar are loving every minute of it. "For me, this is not a job," says Edgar. "I have a passion for the game and I'm making a decent living doing what I love. Once you find something like this, it doesn't feel like a job." "It's still fun every day, even after all these years," Imre says. "It's the beautiful game. Where else can you show up for work in shorts every day?"
Chicago Soccer, Inc.
4839 North Western Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
773.271.2255
www.chicagosoccer.net
Hours:
Monday - Friday 10:00am - 7:00pm
Saturday 10:00am - 5:00pm
Sunday 10:00am - 4:00pm
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