Hall Building | Since 1881

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Twelve-year-old Will Hall immigrated to America from London, England with his family. Will Hall held a variety of jobs to support himself. He eventually acquired a job in the shoe business working at a small local shoe store. After a few years, around 1892, he opened Will Hall’s Shoe store in this Italianate-style building. His slogan was, “No matter what you pay, you’ll always get your money’s worth.”

Will Hall’s children, Hays and Edith, joined the business in the mid-1920s. After Will died in 1936, Hays and Edith continued operating and expanding the store. In 1958 two of Hays’ sons, Jerry and Bill, became partners with their father and brought in the next generation of Halls. Jerry and Bill were able to expand the business by purchasing a second shoe store, and for a time there were two Hall’s locations in both Aledo and Monmouth. In 1996, Bill retired and Jerry and Janice assumed ownership of both stores.

Hall’s sold a variety of shoes ranging from tennis shoes to dress shoes, and in its later years included well-known brands such as Nike, Red Wing, and Naturalizer. Many other accessories such as purses, shoelaces, shoe polish, socks, tee-shirts, and the ever popular gumball machine were also found there. Although it was the “sole” shoe store in Aledo, new retail channels brought competition that hurt many downtown districts. In Aledo, Wal-Mart was a serious competitor due to its low prices, and nearby Quad Cities malls became accessible enough to draw away business.

Bill and Jerry Hall were very involved members of the community and loved the years spent running their successful small town business. Jerry Hall was the driving force for Aledo becoming an Illinois Main Street community and was the first president of the Aledo Main Street organization in 2001. When asked about the renovation in 2021, Jerry Hall hopes that the project has “planted the seeds for economic growth and inspired the whole community to take pride in it again.”