The Alley, located in a huge industrial warehouse in Avondale, 2620 W. Fletcher St., will celebrate its 50-year anniversary as Chicago’s iconic counterculture shop Sunday, June 14 at 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. This special event is free and open to the public, including everyone from The Alley’s loyal customers, who have been shopping at The Alley for five decades, to the new generation just discovering the infamous store. This block party event will celebrate the legacy and future of The Alley with local food, local artists, live music and a fashion show. The Alley continues to be on a “must go” list even after its move from its previous storefront on Clark St. in Lakeview. For more information on The Alley and the 50th Anniversary event, please visit www.TheAlleyChicago.com or Instagram.com/TheAlleyChicago.
THE STORY OF THE ALLEY
Go back in time to 1971. It was a crazy year. The Vietnam War was on everyone's mind. Kids were being drafted, others were protesting. Jim Morrison was found dead in his bathtub and The New York Dolls were starting their career in New York City. The unmistakable sounds of legendary rock bands such as Black Sabbath, AC/DC, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Kiss and Aerosmith piped through the airwaves. The 70s was the beginning of the Me Generation and the Sexual Revolution continued in this new decade. It was on a cold Thursday, Dec. 16 to be exact, that a cocky 17 year old kid found his way into the posh Oak Trust & Savings Bank (located at Oak and Rush Street) and purchased a $1725 cashier check with money that was earmarked for his college education. He had the cashier's check made out to Ed Johnson. This cocky kid (Mark Thomas) already had one failed business (which was a candle making business) three months earlier under his belt. He had big dreams for himself in the business world. With this cashier's check, he negotiated and purchased a jewelry casting business and this is where the story began and it continues today, 50 years later. Thomas started with a little business called Excalibur Products which became Liberty Trading, Excaliber Studios and Fashion Victim soon followed. He sold his wares to anyone who would buy them, sometimes even out of the trunk of his car. He believed that when one door closes, another one is always open and he never gave up. This cocky kid had huge dreams of conquering the business world, and while some of his outlandish dreams went unfulfilled, overall he has succeeded beyond everyone's expectations.
Mark Thomas spent almost 30 years at the corner of Belmont and Clark where he met his wife and raised two daughters. He is now the owner of The Alley stores, The Art Colony, The Music Factory (100 art and music studios, 270 tenants), a jewelry factory and a screen-printing business. He has traveled over 4,000,000 miles in his life; allowing him the opportunity to observe other forms of government, business strategies, cultures and approaches to community development.
He is one of the founders and past president of the Central Lakeview Merchants Association, Special Service Area #17, Executive Director of K.E.B.I.C and board member of Local First Chicago. He has also spent time as a board member of the Halsted Business Alliance (then NAMA), and serves as a current member of the Chicago Federal Reserve Industrial Roundtable.
For 50 years, The Alley has been a Chicago landmark destination for the counterculture lifestyle offering merchandise that reflects the cutting edge in punk, goth, glam, emo, mod, rockabilly, alternative, biker and rock gear. After establishing a loyal following at its Lakeview location on Clark St., The Alley moved to Avondale in 2020. The new space, a warehouse longingly referred to as “The Mothership” by owner Mark Thomas, has been the home for its website, screen printing and jewelry operation for more than 20 years and has now been welcoming walk-in shopping in its new storefront since October 2020.
During the pandemic, The Alley’s social media following continued to grow and its online business has created new fans around the world. The Alley can be found on Facebook as ‘The Alley Chicago Store’ and Instagram @TheAlleyChicago.
The Alley, located in a huge industrial warehouse in Avondale at 2620 W. Fletcher St., will celebrate its 50 year anniversary as Chicago’s iconic counterculture shop Sunday, June 14 at 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. This special event is free and open to the public including everyone from The Alley’s loyal customers, who have been shopping at The Alley for more than four decades, to the new generation just discovering the infamous store. This block party event will celebrate the legacy and future of The Alley with local food, local artists, live music and a fashion show. The Alley continues to be on a “must go” list even after its move from its previous storefront on Clark St. in Lakeview. For more information on The Alley and the 50th Anniversary event, please visit TheAlleyChicago.com or Instagram.com/TheAlleyChicago.