German businesswoman Christine Luscher had no intention of becoming an entrepreneur in the US—much less in Chicago. After studying economics at university, she was busy working her way up the ladder at a clothing business in her hometown of Heidelberg, Germany. She was learning the import/export business as the assistant to the exports director and was well on her way to taking his place when he left the position. She had no idea that a simple business trip would be her first step in becoming one of Lincoln Square's most successful and long-standing entrepreneurs.
It all began when the exports director that Christine worked for was in the Far East on a business trip. Christine's employers discovered that they hadn't received payment for merchandise that was shipped to a retailer in the US. Since the exports director was unavailable, they asked Christine to go investigate what had happened and return either with the merchandise or with payment. "I was sent to Detroit and had 21 days on my airline ticket to find out where the merchandise was," recalls Christine. It took only a few days for Christine to locate the offending store, where she learned from its owners that the merchandise had been shipped to another business in Chicago.
So she rented a car, got on the road and headed to Chicago, determined to find the goods. "As I drove into Chicago I saw the lake and all the parks and I thought to myself, 'Hey, this isn't so shabby!'" recalls Christine. "The next thing I knew, I was driving down Lincoln Avenue and I saw all the German businesses there." It didn't take long for her to locate the German import store in the 3000 block of Lincoln, called Norden's Import, where the mysterious merchandise had been sent. Seeing Chicago for herself exposed Christine to a completely different side of the US than she had come to expect through her encounters with American soldiers in Heidelberg. "I found that this was such an interesting country," says Christine. "It was so different than what I'd seen before—and I had traveled all over Europe. The whole American lifestyle was just so different." Once she arrived in Chicago, Christine never returned to live in Germany and never looked back. "I quit my job and told them that I wanted to travel," says Christine. "I didn't go back home for two years."
Christine formed an instant relationship with the people at Norden's Import, who hired her to help out with their import/export paperwork while she gradually learned more about the business. "I was not in the selling field," says Christine. "But whenever someone was sick, the owners approached me and said, 'Christine, can you help out?'" Because she was flexible and easily picked up other positions when they needed her, she learned the retail business inside and out. By 1974, Christine's knowledge inspired her to open her own store at the corner of Lincoln and Leland. She bought Mainzen's Import Center, which sold crystal, shoes and newspapers imported from Germany. The store was located in one of the buildings beside Northern Home Furnishings that eventually was torn down in the plan to reconfigure Lincoln Avenue. "I bought the store not knowing that they wanted to demolish it," says Christine. "I had it only half a year when I realized that I would lose it." And that wasn't all that she was up against. At the time, Lincoln Square had five different shoe stores, including a Salamander Shoes. "I was a total outsider when I started the business," recalls Christine. "All of the stores were owned by men and men served the customers. And here comes this unknown German woman who opens a shoe store."
 As always, Christine took change and challenges in stride. When it came time to demolish her building, not only did she move her store, she opened another one. European Import Center offered crystal and newspapers, while she offered the shoes through Christine's Shoe Studio at 4714 North Lincoln (where Elizabeth's Custom Tailoring is now). The Shoe Studio became very successful selling comfort and walking shoes imported from Europe. After a few years, she sold the European Import Center to focus on shoes alone. "I started by selling comfort shoes partly because fashion shoes are here today and gone tomorrow," explains Christine. "Americans don't walk much, but Europeans depend on walking everywhere. That's why the European companies make superior walking shoes." Christine set out to service all the Europeans in Chicago who called their relatives back in Europe, begging them to send the special brands of shoes they knew and loved. "We offered great merchandise and terrific service, but to me it was a boring store," laughs Christine. "As soon as I got bored, I had to start something new." So she opened a third store in Lincoln Square, a boutique called Shoe Studio Two in the space currently occupied by Degerberg Academy. Shoe Studio Two reflected the fanciful side of shoes: it was a sophisticated boutique that offered high fashion shoes, handbags and accessories imported from Europe.
While Christine was busy expanding her businesses, the Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce took notice of her success. "Mr. Brumlik had a shoe store located at the side of the El for something like 60 years," explains Christine. "One day he approached me and said, 'Would you like to be on the Board of Directors for the Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce?' I was honored and accepted his offer to nominate me. And I was voted on the Board of Directors for 25 years after that and eventually became president." As a new board member and the only member under 50 years old, Christine was energized and determined to bring in lots of new blood to the organization. "We created a totally new Chamber and introduced new concepts and ideas of what the area should be like," says Christine. "We established a promotions committee that collected funds from the businesses every month and paid for all the festivals, maps, events and other promotions." At the same time, many of the business owners were starting to purchase their storefront properties. "We put our money where our mouths were," says Christine. "We always hated having empty storefronts. We wanted to protect our businesses and worked together to make a good environment."
Christine was experiencing such growth at the Shoe Studio, that she realized it required a larger space. So she moved into another building a few doors north of the Chicago Brauhaus at 4738 North Lincoln, then relocated the Shoe Studio Two boutique to her 4714 North Lincoln space. But first, the new building needed to be an appropriate home that was up to Christine's exacting standards. "I was the first person to remodel a store on Lincoln Avenue," explains Christine. "At the time, no one did this. It was very unusual." Christine created a beautiful shop with custom mahogany fixtures that was inviting to her customers and a fitting place to shop for quality shoes. In 1989, a fire on the block at 4762 North Lincoln (now Century 21 Sussex & Reilly) turned into another source of inspiration for Christine. She sold the Shoe Studio Two boutique and bought the burned out building, which had been destroyed down to the foundation. "When I went to look at the damage," recalls Christine, "all I could see was one piece of charred wood up by the chimney, sticking up into the sky. I stopped one of the workmen I hired and told him that I wanted that piece of wood. He thought I was completely crazy. I still have that piece of wood in a frame." She completely rebuilt the building from the ground up and began to plan yet another move for the store. The Salamander shoe store on the block had gone out of business, so Christine contacted the company about carrying its shoes and selling them under the Salamander name. Without missing a step, Christine renamed her store Salamander of Chicago and moved to 4762 North Lincoln, where it remained until she recently moved it to 4740 North Lincoln.
 Years after Christine opened her first store on Lincoln Avenue, people continue to flock to Salamander of Chicago. Times have changed since 1974. Salamander of Chicago has entered the digital age with a website, www.salamandershoes.com which attracts customers from all over the world who buy shoes by mail. Many of Christine's original German customers have left the neighborhood, but a new group of multicultural customers have taken their place. At any given moment, you'll find customers in the shop who have come to the US from Poland, Mexico, Russia, Romania and many other Eastern European countries. "People like to wear the shoes that they are accustomed to," explains Christine. "That's why so many European people come to the store." This also explains Christine's unusual requirement of her employees that they all speak at least two languages. "Right now, I have a staff that speaks English, German, Russian, Bulgarian and Yugoslavian," says Christine.
Through the years, Salamander of Chicago has earned a stellar reputation for its great service. "I could never sell something that I don't believe in," says Christine. "I find it very rewarding to help a person find something that they're looking for, being a problem solver." For years, Christine attended trade shows offering special shoes for disabled children, where she bought shoes and learned how to fit children properly. "It gives me a lot of satisfaction to help these families," says Christine. She also looks for the same dedication and problem solving skills in her employees and gives them the support they need to succeed. For example, she paid for one employee to take German classes at the DANK Haus so that he could be promoted to manager. Perhaps that's why she's never had to advertise for an open position, in all the years she's been in business. "If someone left me, someone else would always walk in," says Christine. "It's very strange."
Salamander is a popular destination for Chicagoans who understand the critical nature of wearing quality, comfortable shoes like those Christine offers—especially people who earn their living on their feet, such as doctors, nurses and other health professionals. The shop sells a wide selection of European fashion and comfort shoes for men, women and children from companies like Ara, Gallus, Helle Comfort, Finn Comfort, Romika, Birkenstock, Lloyd, Geier Wally and Stonefly. Visit Salamander if you're looking for fine quality European shoes, boots or sandals and find out why the shop has been such a success story for so long in Lincoln Square.
Salamander Shoes of Chicago
4740 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
773.784.7463
www.salamandershoes.com
Hours:
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday - 9:30am to 6:00pm
Thursday - 9:30am to 8:00pm
Friday and Saturday - 9:30am to 6:00pm
Sunday - 12:00pm to 4:00pm |
