ONE-STOP SHOPPING; MICHAEL THOMAS HAS FOUND A WAY TO HANG ONTO HIS CLIENTELE: OPEN A SECOND STORE DEDICATED TO THE TWEEN AND ADULT CONSUMER, AND WATCH THE CUSTOMERS -- AND SALES -- GROW.(Interview)

Footwear News, February, 2005

Byline: Jennifer Carofano

One Chicago retailer is now catering to customers taking their first steps as well as those having babies of their own -- and every age in between. As the owner of Piggy Toes, a children's boutique, and O&I Shoes for the Urban Woman, a juniors' and women's store, Michael Thomas has solved a common retail problem.

"From Piggy Toes to the juniors' section and women's section [at O&I] is a kind of bridge [for consumers]," said Thomas, who owns both stores along with his wife, Jennifer. Piggy Toes opened in March 2000, followed by O&I (named after their children, Olivia and Ian) in October 2003. The contiguous stores, located in Chicago's hip Lincoln Park neighborhood, feature separate outdoor entrances.

Inside the...

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