The Alley Turns 45
WDCB’s Gary Zidek catches up with Mark Thomas, the long-time owner of The Alley as the store celebrates its 45th anniversary.
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“Today The Alley is famous for leathers, famous for motorcycle jackets, we figure we’ve sold 30,000 or 40,000 motorcycle jackets in the last 30 years. I’ve flown 4 million miles finding weird stuff!” - The Alley owner Mark Thomas talking about the store’s most popular items and his efforts to find unique merch.
Mark Thomas, the owner of The Alley
A Chicago retailer that’s catered to the area’s counter-culture for generations has changed locations, but has no plans to close any time soon. The Alley is celebrating its 45th anniversary this summer.
If you grew up in the Chicago-metro area in the 80’s, 90’s or early 2000’s, and were interested in alternative music genres and/or lifestyles, chances are you made your way to The Alley at Clark and Belmont at some point. Owner Mark Thomas kept the store stocked with leather jackets, Doc Martens, band t-shirts and all sorts of knick-knacks you couldn’t find at your local mall.
A mix of factors, including neighborhood changes, internet shopping and construction, forced Thomas to close the Lakeview location in 2015. In recent years, he’s attempted to open new versions of The Alley in different storefronts before settling on it’s current home in the Avondale neighborhood.
A look at one of the display cases at The Alley
Inside The Alley
