Wicker Park retailer Saint Alfred, ‘where creatives, athletes and tastemakers all intersected,’ is closing

After nearly 22 years of serving as “a cornerstone of Chicago’s streetwear culture,” Wicker Park retailer Saint Alfred has announced it’s closing its doors at the end of the month.

In a statement posted on its website and on its Instagram account on Wednesday, the retailer said it was shuttering but provided no specifics on why. “The time has come to say goodbye,” the post read on Instagram. “The culture and community of Chicago is second to none and was and will forever be the light that inspires the world. Thank you for it all Chicago.”

The retailer’s leadership wasn’t immediately available for further comment.

After online music and culture magazine Complex amplified the news earlier this week about the shop’s imminent closure, there was an outpouring of support online, with Complex’s April 21 Instagram post drawing more than nearly 700 comments as of Wednesday night, most paying homage to the store and its role in elevating Chicago’s status as a major tastemaker that led to the takeoff of streetwear culture and paved the way for brands like Supreme.

“That store wasn’t just a store,” said Clarissa Flores, founder and CEO of Lake View sports bar Level Sporting Club. “It was the cornerstone of Chicago’s streetwear culture. It was one of the venues that helped put Chicago on the map in a real way, within the fashion and sneaker culture. It created a space where creatives, athletes and tastemakers all intersected. It wasn’t really a transactional storefront. It was very much a community hub.”

The boutique opened in September 2004 and grew as a member of the street culture community, rather than just being an entity that sold to them. It was known as a gathering place for sneakerheads, creatives and anyone who wanted to be a part of the cool kid crowd.

“They got shouted out by Lupe [Fiasco] in songs and the Yeezy 1 release was unforgettable,” wrote Andrew Barber, founder of Fake Shore Drive, a blog that defined Chicago’s hip-hop scene in the 2000s. Exclusive drops, listening parties and brand collabs were part of the brand’s ethos, not one-offs. Saint Alfred stood out because it invested in areas overlooked by others.

Adriana “Dri” Garibay, an athlete and private chef, recalls how Saint Alfred gave A League of Their Own, an organization designed for women and nonbinary people to learn and participate in recreational sports regardless of sports knowledge, its first merchandise drop in 2020.

“Saint Alfred saw that we were doing a softball game for A League of Their Own, and they were like, ‘We want to work with you guys,’” said Garibay, who volunteers for the organization. “They posted these posters all over the city. It was so cool. It was an extremely diverse group of women. That’s when a lot of people were like, ‘Saint Alfred is the first to do that. Nobody was talking about women in sports back then.”

The announcement also drew criticism online that the shop closed due to changes in leadership that no longer aligned with its community. Jacob Aquino, who worked for the store for seven years as a warehouse manager assisting on buying, says that’s not true. The ownership remained the same with roles changing and additional people coming in to assist. However, he does concede that the store moving next door into a larger space at 1529 N. Milwaukee Ave. in 2023 did affect its customers.

“There was something about that old small shop that was special,” said Aquino. “The change to the bigger shop alienated a lot of people.”

For Robert “Scoop” Jackson, Sun-Times columnist and author of “Sole Provider: Thirty Years of NIKE Basketball,” Saint Alfred reached its peak several years before shutting down.

Just after the 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago, Complex released an episode of its popular YouTube show Sneaker Shopping, featuring 10-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony at Saint Alfred.

The video — which features the elite scorer talking about the Air Jordan 10 "The Wings," a shoe designed by kids from local organizations that incorporates the colors of the city’s CTA lines and is designed to be an emblem of the city’s grit — racked up 1.7 million views (more than Kim Kardashian), helping the shoe to sell out quickly when it dropped.

“As far as notoriety and maybe popularity, you can say that that was the peak,” Jackson said. “... Culturally, they had a 10-year run before that moment where they were one of the top stores in the city, and the people that were involved in that culture looked at them as one of the A ones. To me, that was their peak.”

Jackson says the perception that the physical shift in look and feel of its new location is a misinterpretation of its progression.

“Consumers get stuck on things and look at change as something that’s negative,” said Jackson. “Being in both stores, it was a different experience. Maybe that’s the problem. They got out of that original teenage, hip-hop, skateboarding approach to sales and moved into something more elevated — graffiti-ed walls got swapped out for artwork, wood floors, undercarriage lighting. It was beautiful. People think they’re turning their back on the culture when what they’re really doing is elevating it.”

Part of the shop’s appeal was how it broadened people’s horizons. At the time, most streetwear retail boutiques like Leaders 1354 and Jugrnaut were clustered on the city’s South Side. Saint Alfred introduced them not only to new designers, fashion trends and music, but also to what existed in their own backyard.

“I’m from the South Side of Chicago and there’s this stigma about not even knowing what’s past Downtown,” said Peter Cottontale, a Grammy-winning producer and frequent collaborator of Chance the Rapper and Jamila Woods, who first visited the store in 2007. “I hadn’t really made our way up north to shop or do a lot of things. Saint Alfred was a big exposure and a resting stop to me and a lot of people ... . We found this streetwear shop as a place to hang out. They supported our music and encouraged community.”

There may be a lack of consensus on when Saint Alfred was at its apex, but what no one can argue is the impact it’s had on the city.

“Chicago doesn't always get the credit it deserves in fashion, but Saint Alfred definitely helped change that narrative,” said Flores. “What they created will definitely influence what’s next. This is just a reminder of how important it is to support independent businesses that shape the culture.”