Wheaton native continues family tradition at Oak Street Bootmakers

WHEATON – For nearly four decades, Wheaton shoe owners have gone to John's Shoe Repair on Main Street for the caring handiwork of John Vlagos.

Now, shoppers can get quality footwear from another Vlagos – his son, George, whose Oak Street Bootmakers enterprise has made waves in the fashion world by taking the craft and passion he found in his dad's store and turning it into a successful international business.

The younger Vlagos began his Wheaton-based high-end, custom-made boot and footwear business in 2010 after a lifetime of polishing the same.

To this day, one morning in particular stands out.

"One Saturday my dad said very sternly, 'You're going to work on Saturday, be there at 9 in the morning,'" he remembers. "He said it in this very intimidating way – it was supposed to be scary, but I get there kind of excited. ... He had saved up all the shoes that were going to be due that day through the rest of the week."

Instead of the intended scare away from the business of shoes George believes his father intended, it showed him his love of working with leather and footwear.

As he grew up, he knew he wanted to own a business, inspired by the hard work of his parents, a pair of immigrants from Greece who made a life for George and his two sisters in Wheaton.

"As bizarre and cliche as it is, what I saw my parents do – running a business – was something to live up to," he said. "It's incredible. My dad has a fourth-grade education, and he was able to provide for all of us. ... My parents, whether they knew it or not, are entrepreneurs."

George had been working as a teacher in Naperville when he decided to take a shot, tracking down a leather manufacturer in Maine with some of his designs. After a friend featured what he produced on a blog, he immediately sold out of everything he planned on selling for the next year.

"Whether it's in shoes or different parts of our life, we're all looking for these super high-quality things," he said. "I think the greater, larger community is starting to re-evaluate where we went in the 90s – overseas, cheap, immediate and disposable. ... People have interest in these smaller brands."

From there it wasn't long until he followed his true passion – a passion that now ships his footwear across the globe and has grown to include a retail location in downtown Chicago spawned from intimate customer service and quality product.

The business is headquartered next to his dad's shop in Wheaton, though that space is used for office space and shipping, not retail.

Though he lives in Chicago, George said he returned to Wheaton for the sense of community.

"This is weird, but I always pictured running a business out of here," he said. "When I was into skateboards when I was really little, I wanted to open it next to my dad's shoe repair. It felt right."

---

Know more

To learn about Oak Street Bootmakers, visit oakstreetbootmakers.com, call 630-668-0867 or email info@oakstreetbootmakers.com.