Owners Jeff and Patty Brown announced plans to retire in 2023 due to age, health, staffing and supply chain issues.
UPPER ARLINGTON, Ohio – After 57 years of operation and 32 years of current ownership, Jeff and Patty Brown have announced plans to retire and close Brown’s Shoes.
“I started when I was 12, washing windows. I started selling shoes when I was 16. Now I’m 67,” said Jeff Brown.
Jeff’s parents opened the store in 1964. He bought the business before his father died in 1990.
“Now is the time to take the money off the table and enjoy the rest of our lives,” he said.
The sit down and fit shoe store is unique to central Ohio. Jeff said he saw similar stores like Easton Shoes close their doors as shopping moved from the online store.
“Unfortunately, the products and services we offer are a kind of dying breed. It requires a lot of capital, a lot of work, and the return on investment is very low. So most new businesses are not interested in this market segment,” he said. Jeff.
Brown’s Shoes is a local favorite and has been there to provide the perfect fit for nearly six decades. The store mainly caters to seniors and other individuals looking for orthopedic shoes. It has provided footwear for many generations, offering brands including SAS, Clarks and New Balance.
“We have people with lymphedema here, we have people who have strokes and things like that. So when you get a person that comes in and you can help them to be able to walk, it makes the day,” said Patty. .
The good news about this is that the shoes will be on sale until the end of the year when the store closes. While special orders remain full price, in-stock items are discounted. They plan to sell everything before they close.
An ad for the pension sale says: “Due to our age, health, staffing and supply chain issues, now is the time to close this chapter in our lives and move into full-time retirement.”
As for what’s next, Patty said they plan to spend more time traveling and visiting family.
“We love it. But it’s just time for us to move on and retire,” she said. “It will be good to travel. We want to travel and go around the United States and see some of the state affairs and things like that.”
For more information about the store, click here.
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