JournalStar.com

New downtown shoe store to open this week

By the Lincoln Journal Star
Tuesday, Oct 14, 2008 - 01:16:16 pm CDT
A new shoe store is set to open downtown this week.

The Public, which adjoins the Black Market at 1033 O St., will open Thursday, said co-owner Jesse Flinck.

The store will offer shoes for men and women in a range of styles and prices, Flinck said.

“Lincoln is so huge, and there’s not really an all-around shoe store except in the mall,” he said.

The Public will carry some better known brands, like Palladium, Chinese Laundry and Tom’s — a company that donates one pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair purchased.

But The Public also will carry some smaller brands, with an emphasis on those that practice environmentally friendly production techniques, he said.

 The Public will be set up like a library, Flinck said, with bookshelves filled with shoes and couches for people to just hang out.

There will also be a DJ booth. Local DJs are welcome to drop by and provide the shop’s soundtrack, Flinck said.

DJ Spence will DJ Thursday’s opening night reception, from 6 to 9 p.m., and Dish will cater the event, Flinck said. The Public will also give away one women’s pair of shoes and one’s men’s pair that night.

He hopes guests have a good time, and that they come back to The Public, regardless of whether they want to shop or just hang out.

“If you walk into a coffee shop, you don’t just get your coffee and leave,” he said.

“That’s what we’re trying to accomplish here.”