Four years ago, Shoe Biz's founding owners, Mehran Esmaeli and Nooshin Ansarinia, merged the Haight Street footwear mainstay they founded in 1979 with Austin-based brand Nice Kicks.

The partnership was designed as a way for Esmaeli and Ansarinia to scale back their time in daily operations, and focus on their other passions, namely philanthropy.

The joint brand born by the partnership, Anthem, continued operations in the longtime Shoe Biz storefront at 1533 Haight St., as well as the newer Mission location, at 877 Valencia Street. 

But as of this month, Anthem has closed its doors for good in the Upper Haight, as confirmed by a representative.

Sutro, the locally operated shoe brand founded and operated by Shoe Biz Esmaeli and Ansarinia, is still in production and fully operational for online sales. Representatives from Sutro haven't commented as yet on whether the change with Anthem will cause any changes for Sutro down the line.

The Valencia Street Anthem storefront has undergone a remodel, and reopened earlier this month under the Nice Kicks brand, which will continue operations there under their brand. 

It's unclear what's next for the now-vacant Haight Street store, other than to join the ranks of Upper Haight vacancies. We'll keep you posted.