Mundelein shoe store owner feels thrill of victory

Agony of De-Feet owner Jay Umansky shows off some shoes at his Mundelein store. | Joel Lerner~Sun-Times Media

Updated: July 8, 2012 8:08AM

Jay Umansky is on a mission to help feet feel fine, and some customers are willing to make the trip from as far as Florida to see him in Mundelein.

Umansky is the owner of the shoe store Agony of De-Feet, 32 E. Park Street. His store name derives from a famous phrase from ABC’s Wide World of Sports.

Umansky, 47, lives in Mundelein. He is trained in pedorthics and has worked in many orthopedic clinics including the University of Chicago’s Advance Medicine Department in Orthopedics. All that came after he started working in his father’s shoe store at the age of five, a job which continued through high school and college. When he went on his own in 1990, he started Biomechanic Orthosis Specialist Laboratory. Now he is back running the family store when he’s not running marathons -- eight employees to help customers, and his fa

How did you
become aware that you had the skills to administer a
business?

I believe nothing prepares you for opening your own small business. Figuring out how to run a successful business has been an epic journey for me.

I learn as I go and keep just a few simple principles in mind: the customer is always the most valuable asset in my store and everything I do must support that. I care about my employees, my customers, my reputation, my quality and my family.

How is your work at Agony of De-Feet different from what you anticipated?

I am still doing exactly what my original business plan spelled out; the only thing that’s different is the length of time it has taken to get all the components working.

The lesson I have learned there is: it’s all about the people. Great things can happen when you surround yourself with people who care.

What is the
toughest obstacle you’ve overcome?

The toughest thing for me to overcome is replacing myself in the business. I still work too much in my business and not enough on my business, and having time to grow and continue to expand my ideas are a major goal of mine.

Is it helpful for your specialized shoe services to be located in Mundelein?

I had a store in Libertyville for 10 years. Many customers told me I was crazy to move from an affluent, well-shopped area like Libertyville to a middle-class town with no real downtown or shopping district like Mundelein. I followed my gut and did what I felt was right for my customers and my company. Moving, first, into a 100 year-old building that has great neighborhood interest has been great.

Snow birds from Florida, Arizona and around the country come see me no matter where I go, and that’s the best feeling there is.

Is this what you expected to be doing when you graduated from school and started a career?

I thought I would be the next great orthopedic surgeon to come out of Chicago. I never thought I wanted to be in the shoe business.

It’s very rewarding, never gets boring, and I get to meet some of the most interesting people. I also have the pleasure of working with people who care and together we have the opportunity to make a real difference.

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