Kathryn Kerrigan European Footwear opens in Bucktown

Kathryn Kerrigan European Footwear opened in Bucktown on Thursday evening in the midst of a high energy buzz of customers, vendors, family and friends. Located at 2031 N. Damen, this is a perfect pairing with Vive La Femme at 2048 N. Damen.  Both cater to the under served market of fashion for larger sized women.

Kathryn Kerrigan, a Libertyville, IL, native, spent her whole life having difficulty finding cute shoes to fit her size eleven feet. Armed with an MBA, she decided that if she needed better, more stylish shoes others with the same need could be a viable market.

She began sketching shoe designs. Suddenly, her childhood talent of drawing turned into a fun effort to create a new business.  That was five years ago. This new store in partnership, with Stephanie Sack, makes the third brick and mortar KK retail store plus an online shoe boutique. Shoes this summer range in price from $99 to $179 with boots expected to be around $250.

 

 

"Each year I design about seventy-five shoes and we select fifty to manufacture in Spain and Italy," Kerrigan explains. "Our sizes are consistent and we produce for sizes nine to thirteen."

 

"In March," Sacks explains, "I was on Kathryn's website to buy a pair of shoes for my April birthday.  There was a small ad that said 'Why don't you open a KK boutique?'  I thought 'Why by a pair of shoes if you can have a whole store of them?'

I called Kathryn. We decided this would be a good match. I made some calls to make sure it was feasible. In April we incorporated. May and June were spent getting the shoes.  Now it is July and we are open."

 

Sacks opened Vive La Femme because, "Not having fashionable clothing choices for larger sized women is unfair. Fashion should be egalitarian, style is for everybody." Eight years of success have proven her point.

Carrying about ten to fifteen different brands, Sack buys from other entrepreneurial owners, mainly women. With sizes from twelve to twenty-four, sometimes fuller, items range from t-shirts to cocktail dresses. Prices are from $35 to $125.

"Women come into the store. We look at them and generally know their size. We ask them for other info then put together a range of options. They try them on. They buy them and they leave happy!"

Staff at both stores will be cross trained on merchandise so that shopping for an entire ensemble can be as easy as for one item.

 

 

Hours at both shops are Tues. - Fri. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sat. and Sun. Monday by appointment. Kathryn Kerrigan store may be reached at 773.235.7150 and Vive La Femme at 773.772.7429.