Back in 2005, (shoo) opened at 241 N. Broadway as the Third Ward's first shoe boutique. Five years later, with business booming, owner Kate Blake is expanding west -- way west.
Kate and her business partner and brother Pat are opening a second (shoo) location in Madison at 109 N. State St. If all goes as planned, she says, the store will be open April 1.
The Madison space is large -- twice the size of Milwaukee's -- allowing the Blakes to evolve the store. In addition to the savvy collection of fashionable and funky European footwear, she's bringing in wearable art, handmade jewelry, accessories and other art.
"The store will be like our Milwaukee location; very unique, comfortable and fun. We feel like the formula for (shoo) in Milwaukee has worked, so we believe it will work in Madison, too."
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
