'It's a neighborhoody store': Local Mom-and-pop children's shoe shop marking 90 special years

NAPERVILLE (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - A Chicago area mom-and-pop children’s shoe store will be celebrating its 90th anniversary in business Saturday.

Gotskind’s Shoes and Clothing opened in Chicago's Austin neighborhood on the West Side in 1934. It eventually moved to Oak Park and then opened in Oakbrook Terrace and downtown Naperville, the only store that remains.

Andrea Gotskind Hamad runs it now.

“It’s exciting for us,” Hamad said. “My grandfather, whose name was Saul Gotskind, was an immigrant from Poland. [He] was a young guy and he wanted to open up a business.”

Andrea’s father and mother, David and Gail Gotskind, ran the store for decades until she took over. Hamad said it’s not uncommon for people who were fitted for shoes at Gotskind’s when they were children to come in with their grandchildren and be taken care of by the same person, Hamad’s 87-year old father, who still works part-time at the store.

“I really think it’s the very, very personal kind of service. It’s a neighborhoody store,” she said.

Assistant store manager Aracely Govinez ( has only worked at Gotskind’s for a couple of years, but she gets its importance.

“We’re kind of a Naperville staple for a lot of families ‘cause we’re one of the only stores around here [that] measure that actually fits kids into shoes. We measure them, kind of do it old-school, still,” Govinez said.

Govinez said some people come in with their own grandchildren and say the store still has the same leather shoe-type smell they remember from when they were children.

Andrea Gotskind Hamad says Gotskind’s Shoes and Clothing will be moving in January from downtown Naperville to a location about 10 minutes south in the suburb. It is there she hopes the store will be celebrating its100th anniversary in 2034.

As for Gotskind’s long-term future, Hamad said there is no family member who will carry on the store, but she’s hoping her assistant store manager will eventually take over.

Gotskind’s 90th birthday celebration will be at the store between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Saturday. There’ll be a balloon artist and treats.

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