Allen Edmonds takes 2,000 s/f at Malkin Properties' Westport location

Allen Edmonds, a premium retailer of quality shoes and accessories, has leased the last available space at Malkin Properties' 69 Main St., according to Anthony Malkin, president of Malkin Properties. The retailer will occupy 2,000 s/f beginning in August. Its immediate neighbors will be Nike and Theory, which signed leases with Malkin Properties in 2011. "This transaction further validates Westport's Main Street and the appeal of Main Street to quality retailers who desire the pedestrian shopping experience it offers," said Malkin. Westport is one of the nation's most affluent communities, with per capita income that is 2.5 times the national average. Other top names among Main Street's large concentration of retailers include Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, BCBG, Brooks Brothers, Chase, Chico's, Coach, Eddie Bauer, Eileen Fisher, The Gap, Guess Kids, HSBC, J.Crew, Johnston & Murphy, Kate Spade, The Limited, L'Occitane, Lucky Brand Jeans, lululemon, Patagonia, Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, Simon Pearce, Starbucks, Talbots, Tiffany & Co., Villeroy & Boch, Urban Outfitters and Williams-Sonoma, among many others. Frank DiMucci of DiMucci Partners represented Allen Edmonds in the lease negotiations. Founded by Elbert Allen in 1922 in the village of Belgium, Wisconsin, 35 miles north of Milwaukee, the Allen Edmonds Shoe Company quickly made an impact on the shoe industry with innovative manufacturing techniques devised by Allen. The inventor/entrepreneur used welts to eliminate nails and the metal bar conventionally placed in the instep, resulting in shoes that were more comfortable and fashionable, as well as durable. When Allen teamed up with phenomenal salesman Bill Edmonds, sales began to skyrocket. Today, the retailer, still based near the Wisconsin shore of Lake Michigan, proudly claims former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush, as well as Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, among its most illustrious known customers. Malkin Properties, the acquisition, management and marketing arm of the Malkin family, manages 21,300 s/f of retail space on Westport's Main Street, on behalf of two investment partnerships headed by Peter Malkin and Anthony Malkin.