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Salamander Shoes has been located in Chicago, in the heart of Lincoln Square, since the 1955 and is proud to still be one of the last original Salamander stores in the U.S. and the only shoe store doing business as Salamander shoes in Illinois.
The Salamander History
The Salamander logo has been a registered trademark of Salamander shoes since 1904. Established initially as a manufacturer, the company quickly expanded to its own chain of retail stores in Germany and its neighboring countries, and licensed independent family businesses in small towns. The company weathered the Depression and World War I and II, building a business that offered shoes for men, women and children. As an innovative step first to entertain children while their parents were shopping the first Lurchi comic books were introduced in 1937. In the 60s the international expansion continued in Western Europe. In the 1980s subsidiaries were established in Eastern Europe and the United Arab Emirates. However, losses in Eastern Europe in the early to mid 1990s started the downward spiral and led to several subsequent take-overs.
2009 the Salamander Group was purchased by ara Shoes AG of Langenfeld, Germany, a leading manufacturer of quality, fashion-forward shoes with comfort technology. The Ara Group has almost 8000 employees world-wide with a sales volume of 500 Millionen Euro. This is the most positive new development for the Salamander brand in recent time and promises the emergence of a strong new fashionable Salamander product line. New collections for men and women have already been introduced in Europe.
European corporate-owned and independent Salamander stores offer many famous European shoe brands that complement the Salamander brand collection. Salamander of Chicago is proud to offer the same brands, such as Ara, Gabor, Lloyd, Birkenstock, Josef Seibel, Manz, Romika, Semler and WaldLaufer. Unfortunately, due to the company reorganization, the Salamander brand has not been available (to any retailer) in the United States for 10 years and any of our remaining stock has long since been sold in our clearance area. However, we will be able to offer a collection of the new line of styles in Spring 2012. We are excited to continue the heritage of Salamander shoes that have been a staple on Lincoln Avenue for 58 years. Please check back with us soon for updates.
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