Country Cobbler Sign Comes Down

GLENVIEW – The familiar Country Cobbler shoe store sign that hung over Glenview Road for 61 years came down Tuesday, sparking a whirlwind of speculation at coffee shops throughout the village.

The owner of the building at 1708 Glenview Road – which housed the shoe store since it opened in 1949, just west of Waukegan Road – removed both the shoe store signage and the "for rent" sign, signaling that a new tenant has secured the location.

"This is the end of an era," said one longtime resident nursing a coffee at a downtown cafe Thursday morning, echoing the sentiment shared by many.Country Cobbler has been a fixture in Glenview's retail landscape since the Truman administration.

And while the sign is gone from its perch, it may not be gone for good.A group of longtime Glenview residents recently sitting around at the Glenview History Center said they hope the village acquired the sign.

They noted that the village did purchase the sign from the Patio Shop when that property changed hands – but there was a key difference: the village was actually buying the Patio Shop property itself.In this case, the Country Cobbler sign is being handled differently.

Residents may spot the iconic sign at the antique store located down the street at the intersection of Waukegan and Glenview Road in the coming weeks, according to those familiar with the discussions.As for the building itself, the future remains uncertain.

According to a recent campaign announcement from the Oil Lamp Theater, the performing arts group had begun a $5 million fundraising initiative to renovate the former shoe store space into a 143-seat performance venue with a stage triple the size of their current one.However, those plans collapsed a couple of weeks ago.

Oil Lamp Theater is now moving into the former Ten Ninety Brewing building at the intersection of Waukegan and Glenview Road, leaving the Country Cobbler location without a publicly announced tenant.

Rumors continue to swirl at coffee shops throughout the village, with whispers of a bookstore or a bakery potentially landing at the site – or possibly another location along Glenview Road between Waukegan and Harlem.

For now, the sign's fate may offer a small consolation for those mourning the loss of a beloved Glenview landmark: a second life just down the road, where history-minded shoppers can spot a piece of the village's past for years to come.