Best Shoe Store

Employees at Walk in Comfort differentiate themselves by declaring “we like to measure and fit.” They aspire to measure and fit every foot that comes in the door.

George Kereluk grew up in the interior and actually spent grade 11 with our own Times Colonist Editor and Chief, Dave Obee, at Norkam High School in Kamloops, B.C.

After receiving a degree in music at UVic in the 70s, George moved to Calgary and spent a few years at The Bay department store; he was accepted into the company’s managerial program. This provided him with retail education, knowledge and experience to move back to Victoria and open Vogue Shoes on Broughton Street in 1986 followed by Vogue Shoes in Mayfair.

In 1990, “Sole Comfort” shoe store in the Mayfair Mall was going out of business. George took over their spot in the mall, along with much of the stock; he then rebranded the store as “Walk in Comfort.” In 1993, a second Walk in Comfort was opened on Fort Street.

in 2001 George closed the two Vogue Shoe stores and opened the Nanaimo Walk in Comfort to emphasize and promote the Walk in Comfort brand.

The Hillside Mall followed in 2006, Sidney in 2011, Oak Bay in 2012 and a seventh store in Duncan in December 2017.

George is passionate about his business and about music. As a bassoonist, he plays in three orchestras. His wife Jackie is an oboist, and she plays in orchestras and chamber music groups; this allows them to travel and perform all over the world.

George’s son, Jason, works as an engineer in Toronto and just received his doctorate. His daughter, Christine, plays and teaches piano and works part-time in the office at Walk in Comfort. Her husband, Christopher Taber, plays violin in the Victoria Symphony. Together, they have three young boys and own Taber Music School on Quadra Street.

George is proud of his stores, and even more proud and appreciative of his staff, whose professionalism, product knowledge and customer service skills ensure clients find the right shoe with the right fit. Employees at Walk in Comfort differentiate themselves by declaring “we like to measure and fit,” they aspire to measure and fit every foot that comes in the door.

Top brands at Walk in Comfort include Clarks, Merrell, cco, Birkenstock and Rieker. George travels to Europe yearly to search out brands not yet seen in Canada for the advantage of product uniqueness and the ability to bypass import hurdles so he can offer quality shoes and pass along substantial savings to his customers.

For example, Walk in Comfort brought in 2500 pairs of Australian Sheepskin slippers last fall which translated into happy customers saving money. George also practices Partnership Retailing; Walk in Comfort’s commitment to specific brands ensures the brands’ return commitment and invested interest in the success of his stores by offering vast inventory to include ALL styles so that customers can find their shoes locally. George cherry-picks other quality shoe brands to find the best and most current fashion styles and make sure they are available for his customers in multiple colours.

Walk in Comfort’s “Frequent Buyer Plan” has been an astounding success. Customers who purchase five pairs of shoes, receive 50 per cent of the average value of those five pairs towards the cost of their sixth pair, with no exclusions. This means that if the average cost of the first five pairs was $100 each, the sixth pair will be $50 off the regular, sale or clearance price. So far this year, Walk in Comfort has given back over $225,000 to its valued customers.