The Tannery Closes After 40 Years in Boston

Longtime Boston retailer The Tannery — founded by Sam Hassan in 1973 — this week closed its last remaining store, at 711 Boylston St., which opened in 2009.

Over the decades, the retailer operated three locations, two on Boylston Street, which included the remaining three-floor flagship, and another in Cambridge, which shuttered its doors in 2016.

The chain was well-known for carrying a wide range of labels, including comfort brands, such as Birkenstock and Mephisto, to fashion lines like Ferragamo and Frye. It  catered to local shoppers, college students attending the area’s several universities and international visitors to the city.

For many new vendors, being picked up by the retailer helped put them on the footwear map.

The Tannery filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in July 2017, listing Adidas, New Balance, Gucci, Lanvin, Dolce & Gabbana, Balenciaga, Dr. Martens, Valentino and Ugg among its major creditors. At the time, the company described itself as “Boston’s largest independent retailer specializing in men’s and women’s footwear, designer apparel, outerwear and accessories.” It remained in operation for 40 years.

Hassan, a well-known and often outspoken figure in the footwear industry, found himself facing a discrimination suit in 2018, when the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office filed suit alleging he discriminated against shoppers at the store.

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