Traipse

I dare you to go in and try on a pair of Cydwoqs or Trippens and not buy them. They are thee most comfortable shoes made.
Margaret, the proprietor is also very knowledgeable and very nice and not pushy at all. Next time I go in I’m thinking of bringing a bottle of wine to drink with her while I browse. It will ease the pain of dropping a few hundred bucks on a pair of beautiful shoes that I will wear and enjoy for the rest of my life.

Never buy shoes from this store. I try to shop local, but the service at this place is bad. I tried to return a pair of 300.00 shoes after wearing them once because they made my back hurt, and was told I could not return them, but I should try and sell them on EBay. Really?

Charming boutique shoe store with unique, well made shoes. The owner was very knowledgable and helpful. I loved so many things in the store, it took a lot of self restraint to only buy one pair. But I’ll be back…

Went into this store a few months ago and the shoes were very unique, a little pricey but still nice. As my sister and I walked around the sales associate continued reading a book and never looked up. She didnt ask if we needed assistance or even acknowledge that we were in the store shopping. My sister broke the silence to ask if they carried one of the shoes in a size 11, she looked up from her book said no and kept reading. She seemed as if she didn’t want our business. Hopefully this attitude is not an extension of management (or even worse I hope she wasn’t part of the managerial team)…but our experience that day was definitely memorable enough not to return. :-(

I stepped into Traipse to discover a better world… where shoes are beautiful, thoughtful, comfortable pieces you will own for years.
I had just been to a discount shoe warehouse that day and the differences were striking. I could not find a single pair among the rows with hundreds (thousands?) of shoes… everything was so mass produced. At Traipse, I wanted to take home several different shoes from among the carefully selected collection on display.
For the cost of two cheaply-​made pairs at «discount» price, I picked a gorgeous pair of black, organic, deerskin leather booties made by Gentle Soles. They look so unique and I’ve already received up a couple complements :) Best of all, they will last me a long time to more than make up for the $ 220 price tag. I honestly feel like I got a great deal.
Store owner Margaret is really cool. I enjoyed talking with her about why she started the business and where she finds the designers that she carries. I liked that Vikki encouraged me to try on whatever I wanted without being too pushy for the sale. Such a pleasant shopping experience, I will be back!

Lovely shoes, but that isn’t enough to make me buy. I am new to the neighborhood and prefer to shop at small, independent places, so I was pleased to discover Traipse and some of the other Lincoln Ave shops. The reason I won’t rush to go back is that when I went in, there was a group of family/​friends talking to the staff. The shop is small enough (and their group large enough) that I was unable to check out the displays they hovered in front of while they chatted. While I don’t like to be suffocated by pushy sales staff, I certainly don’t want to feel like I am busting up somebody’s kaffeeklatsch when I come to shop.
A good friend off mine has her own small business, and I’ve seen her do it right. When we are chatting in her shop and a customer comes in, she immediately attends to the customer and I fade into the background. Customer is happy, my friend maintains her business reputation, and I am a big girl who can be out of the way and happy to contribute to my friend’s success by not impeding it.
Off the soapbox now…

I haven’t been able to find Trippen shoes outside of Europe, not even online, but they have them here at Traipse! They carry other brands like Camper and Tsubo that I also admire for their unique designs and comfort. So glad I found this store!

Traipse is an awesome shoe store with uniquely designed shoes, boots, sandals, etc, all or mostly leather.
I’m a big Cydwoq fan, and Traipse has a great selection of men’s. Trippen, another brand carried here, makes great footwear with original designs.
Margaret, the owner, could not be sweeter. I popped in during the week, and we spoke a bit. She knows a ton about each brand she carries, and seeks out more knowledge when it comes to footwear.
All around, a wide selection of men’s and women’s high end, high design, gorgeous shoes with kind customer service! I have not bought a pair of shoes from Traipse yet, but it’s only a matter of time.
Check it out!

I ove Traipse. I visit Chicago about once a year, with Traipse being a requisite stop. I drop way too much money there — because the shoes are normally not less than $ 200 — but I LOVE whatever I buy there. I have problem feet (high arches) and whatever I get there, I can actually walk in. Thanks Traipse!

I no longer live in the neighborhood, but I happily travel to Montrose and Lincoln to buy shoes at Traipse. I HATE high heels, but I have a pair from Traipse that are both stylish and really comfortable — I have walked more than a mile in them without being sorry about it. And the staff is exceptional. Once they opened up early for my daughter’s friend, who was catching an early plane back to Vermont, but wanted a pair of boots like my daughter’s. Traipse feels like family, and the shoes are great. I noticed that the prices are little better than the competition, too.

Traipse is the best shoe stores! Not only are the shoes amazingly beautiful and unique, but they are extremely well made and long lasting. I have had a pair of shoes, Cydwoq’s, from Traipse for over 5 years! They still look great and feel even better. In addition, the sales people are so kind and helpful. They make you feel right at home, and don’t push to make sales. They want you to be happy with your shoes, and if they don’t have anything in the store that works for you. You won’t be pressured into buying something that isn’t right — like at City Soles. I sometimes realize that I have been in the store for much longer than I had intended, just because I am having a great time.
I don’t know what that woman Ann was on about, I asked the owner, Margaret, about the bad review. She said that the woman actually tried to return the shoes 3 months after she bought them, and that she gave her store credit because she felt bad. The woman then proceeded to sit in the store for hours until she could sell the store credit to another customer. The store’s return policy is clearly posted near the register, and on the receipt. Obviously the 3 months exceeded the return policy.
Go to Traipse for great shoes you’ll have and love for years!

I’ve been a customer at Traipse for about five years now, and I’ve never bought a better pair of shoes than the ones I get at Traipse. They’re more expensive than your average pair of shoes, but they are significantly better. Honestly, they are so much better. My two favorite brands from Traipse are Cydwoq and Trippen. I can’t wear most shoes because I flattened my feet out playing Soccer as a kid, but Cydwoqs and Trippens aren’t just well-​made, they’re made right. They fit your foot better and support your arch and literally make you walk better. I’ve bought about six pairs of shoes from them over the years and I still have all of them, and they’re all still in fantastic shape. I can’t say enough good things about the shoes I get at Traipse. Also, the people that work there are so nice! Stop by and check them out!

I bought a pair of hot looking Cydwoqs here on my first visit like three years ago. They were pewter colored and crazy shaped. The first time I wore them the leather started tearing a bit, because of the unconventional way the opening was constructed. Having just dropped $ 300 bucks on a pair of tearing shoes, I was a little concerned.
The owner was extremely nice about exchanging them for another pair of Cydwoqs. This time I picked a more conventionally constructed version, which I have had for three years and wear CONSTANTLY. I resoled them twice. She was so nice about the exchange that I bought a belt to try and return the niceness.
Since then I have bought a gorgeous pair of Cydwoq boots that look like something out of a Tim Burton movie. Those have been WAY played out, believe me. I wear them everywhere. PS Cydwoqs almost improve with age.
Definitely go here if you believe in small, local, & good quality. (BTW You should be buying the best shoes you can afford, but maybe just not as often? That’s how I justify the price tag for us middle income girls.)

what a great store, and so nice to get such personalized attention! really cool & unique styles, and margaret the owner is super friendly and helpful.

The owner of Traipse contacted me through Unilocal to apologize for the not-​so-​great salesperson, which was pretty nice. I might try them again someday.

I had a great experience here, and left with an amazing pair of Gentle Souls heels after trying on several pairs of Campers and so on. The girl that was in the store was extremely helpful despite the fact there were three of us in there trying on a million shoes, and one of the ladies was asking her a million questions and asking for feedback on every angle of her foot. The sales girl’s patience was pretty amazing.
They have some brands in here that I’ve never seen before as well — and some of the shoes are *very* expensive. However, the shoes look freaking amazing and unique as hell. I know I’d be a regular customer at this place if I lived in Chicago. I know I’ll head all the way out to this store when I return to the city. Their shoes were that cool!
Update: OK, I had to research a bit, and they carry Trippen shoes (
) which are incredibly unique and I love em. I couldn’t shell out the cash for a pair (yet), but will some day…

Before I started grad school this year, I had a well-​paying job and splurged on two pairs of shoes at Traipse not long after the store had opened. I was a little unsure whether one of them fit perfectly, but they were beautiful. Because I’d said I wasn’t sure about the fit, Margaret, who is the owner, asked whether I was sure I wanted them; I told her that I really like to support local businesses and that I thought they’d be OK. She kind of hesitated as if she was going to say something but then went ahead and made the sale.
I tried them on again at home later that week and decided that they were indeed cutting into my foot too much. When I tried to return them, the salesperson told me there was a no-​return policy, something Margaret had never mentioned. She said I could have a store credit, which I took. I was really upset; I had even sent this new business two customers who also bought shoes.
I returned to the store a few weeks later and Margaret was there again. I asked whether I could have the shoes back, thinking maybe a cobbler could adjust them. «No, we sold them,» I was told. She told me that she had to pay Visa for the transaction and would have to pay them again for the reverse transaction. That was in 2005; I feel like I’ve given the store a $ 175 loan for two years.
Since then, I’ve checked with friends who are small business owners and other small business owners with whom I am familiar to see how much Visa charges are. All of them are at first surprised at my treatment when I tell them the story, and then they tell me that Visa takes from 1.5% of the transaction to about 3%; it varies depending on the merchant’s deal with its bank. I’d go back to ask whether she could give me a refund minus the fees, but she avoids me now when I go in (to look for other shoes on which I might spend my credit). Yes, her memory is that good.
I’ll agree: Margaret was helpful and friendly when I was picking out shoes, and I really like the pair of shoes that I didn’t return.
So a plea: if you are a devotee of Cydwoqs, Camper shoes, Lisa Nadig, Gentle Souls, or other brands Traipse carries, would you consider contacting me? I am hoping that someone will want a pair of shoes at Traipse and that he or she can use my store credit and give me the money. As a grad student, the $ 175 would sure be better than an expensive pair of shoes. If you find a pair of shoes you want that are less than that or more than that, that would still work out.

I love everything about Traipse. Margaret is very helpful and kind, and the shoes are the best! I walked out with a pair of red Cydwoqs — pricey, but definitely worth the hefty tag. They’re some of the most comfortable shoes I’ve worn. Fun, funky, high quality shoes, bags, and accessories — I encourage you to check it out, but don’t blame me when you walk out with a $ 300 pair of (the most comfortable you will ever own) boots!

City Soles this place ain’t…and that’s the highest compliment I could possibly pay this nice little boutique shoe-​store in Lincoln Square.
Here, I was treated like I was the only customer in the store… granted, at the time, I actually was… BUT, if I was the only customer in City Soles, BLEEDING FROM MY EYES AND WEARING A DIAPER ON MY HEAD… I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t even bother paying attention to me.
Shop local, get to Traipse…
I just picked up some choice Cydwoqs there too… love ‘em

This is a great little store in Lincoln Square. She carries a huge amount of Cydwoq shoes (the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn) AND will do a special order of anything Cydwoq you want. She also carries local artists jewelry and purses. Much better and a bit cheaper than City Soles. Ask for Margaret.