“Capitol Hill’s shoe store” is going out of business. After 17 years — including a classic Capitol Hill two-block move — Edie’s Shoes will close at the end of April.

Saturday, owner Erin Dolan announced her decision to close the shoe shop that has survived nearly twenty years of independent retail on both Pike and Pine. She tells CHS the decision was a personal one as much as anything about the business.

“After all this time, I think I’m just ready to move on to different things in my life,” Dolan said. “I’m ready for new things.”

Dolan opened Edie’s in 2000 on E Pine on the Bauhaus block along with a cluster of independent small shops. It was part of one of the earliest “mixed use” buildings in the city that just missed being approved for landmark protection. The rejection of the building helped clear the way for the preservation-boosted seven-story development that now rises on the block called The Excelsior.

Edie’s found a new home only two blocks away on E Pine after Hunters Capital purchased the Greenus Building that had been home to Brocklind’s Costume Shop and gave it a preservation-sensitive overhaul to make new homes for tenants like Dolan and her neighbors at Trove restaurant and the building’s longtime upstairs tenant 8 Limbs Yoga. Along the way, she also opened and closed a West Seattle Edie’s. In 2015, we talked with Dolan about 15 years in the shoe business on Capitol Hill.

For the next few weeks, Dolan is holding a big sale to clear out her inventory before the planned end of April closure. She hopes customers will stop by to say hello and “get a last chance to sniff the leather.” Dolan says she is looking forward to enjoying things about shoes besides profit or the backend of ordering and logistics. “I’ll be happy to get back into fashion as a consumer and not have to think about it as a business,” she said.

You may not want to attempt to draw larger conclusions about Capitol Hill’s retail landscape from the end of Edie’s, Dolan says. “Every business is so different… I can’t really speak to how something is going to do,” she said. But it’s clear people will always need to eat and want to work out. How retail fits in will probably surprise us, Dolan said.

One clue might come from what Dolan says kept her going in the business for 17 years — a love for her employees and her customers.

“I love Capitol Hill,” she told CHS Saturday morning. “I love the energy of the neighborhood. The diversity of the neighborhood. The gritty city. Even though it’s sometimes a little too gritty.”

Edie’s Shoes is located at 500 E Pike. A full announcement on the closure plans is below. You can learn more at ediesshoes.com.

To all Edie’s customers, After 17 years in business, Edie’s will be permanently closing its doors. Until then Edie’s will be reducing it’s inventory with significant discounts starting March 11th. We hope you get a chance to take advantage of the great deals on offer. We plan on operating through April and will be maintaining regular business hours. We invite customer to use their store credits I want to thank all the people who have supported the business over the years. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to serve you. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us. Thank You.

Sincerely,

Erin Dolan