GALESBURG — After a short break, Galesburg will soon have a dedicated shoe store.

shoe feel will replace the former Shoe Carnival at 2474 Veterans Drive in early April. The opening weekend is April 8-10, but shoe lovers might find the store earlier with a soft opening.

If the name Shoe Sensation sounds familiar, there was a store once located in the Sandburg Mall. However, the company chose not to renew its lease in March 2010.

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The chain has 210 stores in 22 states across the country. Based in Jeffersonville, Indiana, Shoe Sensation opened its first store in 1984.

“Galesburg was a city we wanted to come back to,” said Theresa Borgen, Market President for Shoe Sensation. “We consciously decided some time ago when malls started to decline that we would try to get out of the fleet of malls we were in.

“So when Shoe Carnival decided not to renew its lease, it was an easy decision for us to move back to Galesburg. “We want to be your local shoe store at a great price for the whole family.”

National brands like Skechers, Clarks, Crocs and the popular Hey Dude will be available at Shoe Sensation. A wide range of athletic shoes – from Under Armour, New Balance, Adidas, Asics, Puma and others, as well as the latest lifestyle brands like Converse and Vans – are also available at Shoe Sensation.

“It won’t be much different from what you saw at Shoe Carnival,” Borgen said. “We have an expanded children’s selection and that sets us apart from a shoe carnival or a shoe department.

“There will be some visible changes. We’ll be knocking down a desk up front and we’ll be carpeting the kids’ area. It will look different but the setup will be pretty much the same with all the stock per Earth.”

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Marketplace sales manager Brandy Vestal said the Galesburg Shoe Sensation will be open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.

Shoe Carnival announced in September 2016 he would open a store next to Kohl’s and Pet Supplies Plus in the Seminary Square business development. It joins the Shoe Dept., also formerly located in the center of Seminary Square, as the second shoe store in Galesburg to close last year.