'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
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Here's why provinces aren't following Saskatchewan's lead on the carbon tax home heating fight
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Ex-tabloid publisher testifies he scooped up possibly damaging tales to shield his old friend Trump
As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye.