END OF AN ERA

Iconic Easton Shoes to close after 67 years

One of central Ohio’s most iconic, family-owned shoe stores is closing after 67 years. h Easton Shoes on Henderson Road in Upper Arlington began the final sale of all of its remaining merchandise on Monday. The owners, husband and wife Lenny and Marcia Comeras, attributed the closure to the ongoing fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. h Sales suffered, the store couldn’t stay fully staffed, the couple was unable to acquire some of the merchandise they needed, and Covid-related restrictions took their toll. h “It feels terrible to have to close on the one hand, but it’s a relief on the other hand,” Lenny Comeras said.

He said he’ll miss serving longtime customers, but he’ll be glad not to have to deal with trauma and grief from the pandemic, he said.

The store, located at 1880 Henderson Road, was renowned for selling upscale footwear sourced from Europe and Israel.

The couple said they often traveled abroad to find shoes. But acquiring the higher-end merchandise became difficult, if not impossible, as pandemic-related closures and delays snarled international supply chains.

Some of the vendors the shoe stores buys its merchandise from either closed or were unable to supply shoes in a timely fashion.

“One of the brands that’s been so important is Birkenstock,” Lenny Comeras said. “We used to be able to order from them on a daily basis. They stopped that, as they are trying to correct some of their problems.”

“We can’t get anything until next year,” Marcia Comeras added.

That means the store is stuck with the Birkenstock shoes they had in stock before the pandemic.

Marcia Comeras said the couple would rather not discuss financial issues, but they acknowledged they took a serious sales hit during the pandemic.

Lenny Comeras’ father owned the store until he passed it on to his son and daughter-in-law 30 years ago.

The store will close its doors for good once all of its merchandise and fixtures are sold, the couple said, which will likely be sometime in October.

The shoe shop through the years built up a cadre of loyal customers, some of whom shopped at the store for generations, Marcia Comeras said.

“Our customers are like family,” she said. “We know about them and they know about us. That’s going to be the hard part for us. We’re going to miss them.” pcooley@dispatch.com @Patrickacooley

Easton Shoes owner Lenny Comeras assists a customer on Monday. The store is closing after almost seven decades due to the ongoing fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Easton Shoes owner Marcia Comeras hugs a customer on Monday. The store, which is closing after 67 years, was renowned for selling upscale footwear sourced from Europe and Israel.

PHOTOS BY BARBARA J. PERENIC/THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Customers line up outside Easton Shoes, an iconic shoe store on Henderson Road whose final sale started on Monday.

BARBARA J. PERENIC/THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Acquiring higher-end merchandise at Easton Shoes became difficult, if not impossible, as pandemicrelated closures and delays snarled international supply chains.