'I feel lucky to be around': Saskatoon shoe store celebrates 40 years on Broadway
For 40 years, Saskatchewan residents have been bringing their shoes into Broadway Shoe Repair for a fix or in search of a new pair of shoes.
“I’ve been coming here, oh god, 15 or 20 years," said Ken Chomyn.
As one of the few remaining shoe repair shops in the city, the store is busy. But not too busy for owner Jeff Wickstrom to do a quick fix on an old customer’s shoe.
“Here’s the problem, here’s the fixing,” said Chomyn. “Don’t need to waste a bunch of energy, of time.”
Wickstrom grew up in his father’s store, in the original location next door.
He spent his high school working in the back and eventually became manager.
“We didn’t live in this neighbourhood, but we definitely grew up here,” said David Wickstrom. “I didn’t know what any of the machines were, but you’d just look at everything and it had that smell of the glue and the leather and everything.”
In 2011, Jeffrey bought the store from his father, Allan. Over the years, he’s continued to build the relationships his dad formed and made new ones.
“He’s like, I remember seeing that person grow up, and every time they walked past the window, they were a foot taller,” Wickstrom told CTV News. “And I’ve seen those stories myself because, in 12 years, some of those kids are almost in high school that I saw being pushed in a stroller.”
Over the years, a key to the store’s success has been a combination of repair and retail. During the pandemic, having an online presence kept them in business.
“I feel lucky to be around,” he said. “I think having the mixture of retail and repair stores carried us. But there’s so few repair shops that were so busy. Sometimes we have to turn people away, we just can’t keep up.”
Another key is selling a good product.
“I’m pretty particular about the stuff we carry,” said Wickstrom. “It’s got to be well built, last long, and if it’s repairable, that’s even better.”
Another key is service.
Wickstrom tells the story of a time his father talked a woman out of the sale of a new pair of boots.
She was in town for a funeral and her old ones were worn and dirty.
While she looked at new boots, Wickstrom took her old ones into the back, cleaned, polished and dyed them, and brought them out to her looking good as new.
But of all the repair jobs over the years, one sticks out for the owner.
“This guy came in and put three boxes on the table and says, I’m with the Beyoncé tour, I need these fixed,” he said. “So I had to fix them very fast, and I ended up getting tickets to the show.”
To celebrate 40 years in business, the store is going back to 1983 with some vintage artifacts and a special gift for the first 40 customers on Saturday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Life got in the way of one woman's reunion with her father, but a DNA test gained her a family
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.