Luers opened as a family shoe store in downtown Springfield, Illinois in 1850. That’s right, 1850 - the same time lawyer Abraham Lincoln was walking the streets of downtown. In fact, Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln’s third son, Willie Lincoln, was born in 1850. Growing up, Willie and his younger brother Tad were customers of the store. Walk into the basement of the current store and you will see a ledger page containing a sale to Mr. A. Lincoln for two pair of “kids boots.” In 1960, Byron “Bud” Luers, the third generation, opened the store in its current location on South MacArthur and West Campbell.
Dave Saner gave up a successful career as a corporate accountant and purchased Luers from the Bud Luers family in 1994. Dave was born and raised in Springfield and graduated from Springfield High School. He attended the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana for undergrad and then received an MBA degree from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. Dave’s corporate career took him from St. Louis, Missouri to Portland, Oregon to the Dallas, Texas area. At that point, Dave decided to return to his hometown and pursue his dream of owning his own business. Dave hasn’t looked back, and thirty-one years later, Luers is still going strong under his niece’s leadership, as he “retired” when he joined UIS as a full-time Accounting instructor in 2015. Prior to that, he had taught that discipline at Benedictine University, transitioning to UIS when Benedictine closed. Teaching has been a family passion for years, and UIS is an outstanding local resource for young people. While teaching is hardly “retirement,” it is a calling and a privilege and the College of Commerce at UIS is a special place, like Luers was, to him.
Like any successful business, Luers has adapted through the years. The offerings have been expanded to include parochial school uniforms and dance and gymnastics clothes. While Dave functions as the landlord these days, Amanda, the manager, noted the store’s relationship to the Springfield community, “it is much more than a business -- we mark milestones. We are privileged to be serving many third generations and some fourth.”
When asked about his transition from the corporate world to a family-run small business back in his hometown, Dave said “it’s a calling,” noting he has no regrets about his decision to return to the area. The thousands of families who benefit from Luers’ efforts would agree with respect to that calling. Many a parent has visited Luers to shop for dance outfits or shoes for their sons or daughters and have received the personalized service that only a caring local business can provide. School uniforms make up a big part of Luers’ business; the store now carries uniforms for 28 parochial schools across central Illinois. They also carry soccer shoes and apparel for beginning players, starting at toddler size 7, and gifts for children from brands including Melissa & Doug. Durable shoes continue to be a mainstay of the business. Luers has a wide selection of Birkenstocks for all ages and is the largest downstate dealer for Stride Rite, Saucony and Keen shoes. The store’s winter/spring hours are Monday through Friday 10 am to 6 pm and 10 am to 5 pm on Saturdays.
To learn more about Luers, please visit www.luersgroup.com.