Walking away from the shoe business
Wayne Proude will bid farewell to selling footwear in May after 65 years
CHARLOTTETOWN – Wayne Proude said he feels it is time to walk away from the shoe business.
The 81-year-old Charlottetown businessman, who has owned and operated Proude’s Shoes since 1965, said he wanted to wait until he was No. 1 in the market before retiring.
Proude’s Shoes is now the last locally owned shoe store in the city.
“I always said I wanted to leave number one and I’ve reached that goal, so it’s time to move on,’’ Proude said in jest.
“No real bragging rights, but the (competition) is all gone.’’
Proude said his last official day in the store will be May 12, marking 65 years since he sold his first shoe.
Proude was a student at Prince of Wales College in Charlottetown when he was offered a job at Wright’s Shoes in downtown Charlottetown.
“I had no intentions when I walked out of Prince of Wales of ever getting into the shoe business, but $22 a week was too tempting,’’ he said, referring to the offer from Wright’s Shoes.
He hasn’t looked back since.
Proude spent more than five years at Wright’s Shoes before he was hired by Ellis Bros. in Charlottetown to run its shoe department, which was known as Sherwood
Footwear.
Proude was in that position for more than a year when the company decided to sell the department. It approached Proude about buying it.
“I was 24 years old at the time. I talked it over with my father-in-law and he said, ‘If you’re interested, I will back you on it as a silent partner’, and that’s how we did it.’’
The shoe department was renamed Proude’s Shoes on May 11, 1965.
CAREER CHALLENGES
Proude said one of his biggest career challenges over the years was surviving interest rates in the 1980s that reached 21 per cent.
“That wasn’t easy. I was also a person who bought more than I should have and always had a large inventory. But it paid off over the years, and having persistence and optimism was important.’’
Proude said caring about his customers was also a major factor in lasting this long.
“It was me being interested in my customers and putting myself out there on the floor,’’ he said during the interview, pointing from his office in a back room to where customers were trying
on shoes. “It was personal and still is. Even if I’m not waiting on them, I’ll go sit down beside them and chat with them and see where they’re from.’’
Proude has even taken his business out into the community, holding a shoe sale in Vernon River once a year. He also goes into the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown and into nursing homes, when asked, to fit people for new shoes.
“I try to take care of customers the best way I can,’’ he said, adding he also sponsored minor hockey teams over the years.
WAY OF LIFE
Judy Proude, Wayne’s wife, said she is having mixed emotions over his retirement.
“It’s been Wayne’s life, it’s been our life,’’ said Judy, who dropped by the store on March 22 to chat with SaltWire Network. “I just marvel at his perseverance and loyalty to it all. I get kind of emotional about it, but we’ve had a wonderful staff over the years. It’s just been a blessing for us.’’
Their son, Kevin, is taking over the business, having worked alongside his father for the past 35 years.
“I’ve grown up in this business as a kid and learned from the best,’’ Kevin said. “It’s been a very smooth transition of taking on more responsibility. We’ve complemented each other over the years.’’
Kevin said one of the reasons this store has stood the test of time is that it has stayed in the family.
“With our name out there on the sign I feel a bit more accountable (to carry on the legacy),’’ Kevin said.
The store has also been valued by many P.E.I. families.
“I fitted children who brought their children in and their children in,’’ Wayne said. “We’ve had multi-generations through here. They’re in good hands.’’