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Are you a sneakerhead? As co-owner Krabby Rangoon (called such, because he likes Crab Rangoon) explained to me, “Some people buy
sneakers, and some people like sneakers.”
If you fall into the latter category, you fit the bill and may have already made it to St. Alfred’s in Wicker Park, where some customers, serious about their footwear, come in on a weekly basis, some all the way from Michigan.
St. Alfred’s is the brother store to Kick’s in Hawaii, a far cry and plane ride from the Windy City. How did St. Alfred’s find itself all the way in the good old Midwest? Technicalities aside (someone’s friend goes to school here who knew someone and so on), Mr. Rangoon expressed simply, “There was not a store servicing the need.”
The need for edgy, hard-to-find sneakers is a need keen in Wicker Park, a “central location,” where one finds “an eclectic mix of hip-hop and indie rock.”
Before St. Alfred’s began its service to the trendy Wicker Park community in August, there was research to be done. The St. Alfred’s people studied the vibe of the neighborhood. They determined they would serve the aforementioned “sneakerheads” who like “sneakers, art, and partying.” So it’s not just about clothing and sneakers. What is it all about, then?
“It’s a lifestyle,” says Krabby, his answers consistently deliberate without sounding scripted. “Just celebrate life, and do it in fashion.” Wicker Park is an ideal location for the store because, as Krabby expresses, “Wicker Park has kind of arrived.”
Walking through the streets of this downtown neighborhood, I determine for myself that Wicker Park has arrived, period. The population is young, without the sometimes cheesy, chain-store feeling I get in the college town area of Lincoln Park — Chipotle, anyone? Here, there are hip-hop clothing stores next to used rock-and-roll record stores, and colorful cafes and ethnic restaurants all in between. Where else can one find anything remotely close to this unique cultural mélange?
“Maybe in New York City, in the Lower East Side, below Houston,” proposes Krabby. I tell him I’m from New York. “So was that a trick question?” A bit embarrassed, I tell him no, I’m from Long Island, and there are no trick questions.
Confronting the Second City complex, I ask him what makes St. Alfred’s a store about fashion in Chicago, and not New York? “It has a Chicago twist, without a New York attitude,” he says.
As a New Yorker misplaced in the Midwest, his point is well taken.
St. Alfred’s has been the focus of much media attention since its opening, a fact that doesn’t surprise me as I wander around the store. Co-owner Ian Ginoza designs one of the apparel lines. Mirroring the hip-hop, indie rock mix Krabby described to me, there are screaming logo and graffiti tees, and shirts in shocking shades rivaled only by the stores sneaker inventory.
And oh, those sneakers: the same pair of vintage Nikes in eight different color combinations; fierce, hiking-boot-meets-sneaker sneakers; funky calf-high pairs, futuristic Y-3’s; you name it. In all, St. Alfred’s carries Nike, Adidas, Visvim (a “rare and exclusive” Japanese brand), Bape, Y3 (the Japanese Adidas), Vans, Converse, Spring Court, Lacoste and, coming soon, Puma. These are not your typical throw-on-and-go-for-a-run sneakers. In fact, some of them are made to behold in glass showcases, fine jewelry style. These sneakers would be positively ashamed to be seen on the treadmill.
One just has to ask where sneakers like these even come from.
“We have accounts with different companies,” Krabby explains. “If they sell us 30 pairs, and say we sell 20, we keep the other 10, and then 
put them out again in a couple of years.”
Self-made vintage, is it a novel concept?
“Some stores just do old stuff … we have old stuff that’s really good,” he tells me. Believe you me, it is really, really good.
When asked if he anticipated the store’s success, Krabby replies with a solid and succinct yes. St. Alfred’s lets its merchandise speak for itself. Hardwood floors and white washed walls complement each other in cool minimalism. This is a celebrity-worthy venue with even the most celebrity of celebrity touches: a Chihuahua decked in a hot pink, rhine-stone studded collar. Cha-Cha, the “guard dog.”
Sure, St. Alfred’s has all the ingredients for success: excellent location, informed staff, a unique commodity and a guard dog. But how do the proud owners account for the store’s rise to the top?
“Cause we’re bringing it.” Enough said.