The business has been run by five different generations of the same family and has sold countless pairs of shoes.
A shoe store has announced its closure after 150 years in the same family (Image: Walters Shoes)
One of the UK’s oldest family businesses has announced it plans to close its doors after 150 years. Walters Shoes will close down “some time in September when the stock runs out”.
The shop has sold countless pairs of shoes over the years and has been run from various locations by five generations of the same family.
Since announcing on Facebook that the shop would close, owners Jane Hunt and Jo Richards have been overwhelmed by the support, as well as sadness expressed from customers who are upset to see this well-known name on a famous seaside town’s High Street disappear.
Jane says: “It’s been a tough week or two, Jo and I are the fifth generation in the family business, we were born into it, so it’s the end of an era, but I want to retire and Jo is moving on to a different job. I would say most people are very, very sad about it because it is more than just a shop. It’s quite a community hub.”
Previous Walters Shoes owners John and Margaret officially opening their first Clarks franchise in Bridgend (Image: Walters Shoes)
“We’ve had some lovely stories, you know, people coming in over the last few weeks,” Jane continued. “We had a 102-year-old in the other day, he’s been coming here for years. And lots of other people who had childhood shoes and now they’re in their 80s and 90s, still buying shoes or slippers with us too.”
The history of Walters Shoes, which is based in Porthcawl in south Wales, is all about family. Jo says: “As far as we know, it was about 1875 and our great, great, great grandfather came from Cornwall. He was a shipbuilder’s apprentice in the docks here. But he saw an opportunity to start more of a general store in town. And I think they had a timber yard too. It was named after him, Richard Sampson.
“He started up a few businesses then in the town and he had a lot of children and one of them, Martha, married a butcher from Gorseinon, a Mr Walters, so the original shoe business was named after him – he went from meat to feet!
“They basically split off the footwear part of the general store business. Because he was selling everything at that point. And that’s how Walters shoes started really, and we became Walters Shoes Ltd in the 1930s.”
Jane and Jo say that over the decades Rohde clogs were one of their all time best sellers – here’s an advert from 1980 (Image: Walters Shoes)
The current Walters Shoes store was bought in the 1960s, with a shop also opening in nearby Bridgend during the 1980s. At one time the family were operating shops in Neath, Swansea and Cardiff, some of which were Clark’s franchise stores. It has been a family run business for over 150 years and that includes chapters of living at some of the sites and working with family every day.
Jane says: “We also had a shop across the road from here… and there was a shoe shop there as well, and our parents lived above that shop at some point.”
Jane and Jo became involved with Walters Shoes about 22 years ago when it was handed down from the generation above. Jo says: “So it was Jane’s mother and my father, brother and sister, who were running the business and they decided to retire. So we decided we’d give it a go.”
Jane adds: “We worked alongside both of them, especially Jo’s dad, John Walters, for quite a few years before he retired. My mum retired quite quickly, within a year of us taking over, but John was here to guide us for quite a few years.”
Leaflet marketing Walters Shoes on Dunraven Place, Bridgend, dated around 1950 (Image: Walters Shoes)
One of the reasons they give for the longevity of the shops is attributed to the relentless pursuit of stock variety for different customer demographics, regularly resulting in orders for thousands of pairs of shoes twice a year.
Jane says: “If we can spot a wild card, something a bit different, a shoe that nobody thinks is going to sell, and it then becomes our best seller for a season, that’s been fun. It’s a lot of responsibility, but we’ve loved it, looking for something exciting for our customers.
“Maybe one of the most memorable moments regarding the stock was when Jo spotted a new and distinctive shoe called Crocs – and she thought they might take off!
The current group of staff will miss the shop, including owners Jo and Jane – far right in the line (Image: Walters Shoes)
“And so we went and bought a pair to see what it was all about and that was the start of something quite big for us because I think we were the only people in this part of south Wales stocking them at the time.
“We used to get hundreds and hundreds of pairs delivered every couple of weeks, it was a great success. Walters Shoes has always been associated with quality and I’m just pleased that we manage to maintain that all the way through.”
But the overwhelming thoughts about their lives at Walters Shoes again comes back to family.
Vintage advert from the 1930s – telephone numbers have certainly grown since then! (Image: Walters Shoes)
Jane says: “The staff here are like family and I’ve got moments that are happy with particular customers because they’ve been such an important part of all our lives here, our customers are like family because they’re in and out all the time. We’ve had some wonderful people coming through the door.”
The personalised customer service that has been the cornerstone of the business has seen it survive and thrive, even when the marketplace has changed with the increase in online shopping.
Jane says: “This has been so important to all our staff. They are all incredible with the service they offer, we’ve just always gone the extra mile for people and they come back and thank us, and that’s been really important. And that is very much what makes it special. I think people have trusted us through the years, with their newborn babies feet through to very elderly people with quite difficult problems.”
Where it all began – Richard Sampson started his business empire in the 1800s with a general store, then branched out into shoes which became Walters Shoes in the 1930s (Image: Walters Shoes)
Jo adds: “We’ve had a lot of fun, we’ve had a lot of laughs here over the last 22 years and that has made it so rewarding – you have the best job you can ever have when you’re working with your friends and having fun.”
Now that the end of the era is coming closer the reality is starting to dawn on Jane and Jo just how big this decision has been, with tears being shed every day in the shop, so neither women are keen to think too much about the final day and the last time they lock up.
Jane says: “I have appreciated it all. Jo and I are cousins and I feel very lucky to have worked with her because, you know, not everybody can work with family. It can be rare to work well with your family.
Old photo shows the Bridgend store — the company traded in the town for over 80 years (Image: Walters Shoes, Penarth)
“Our parents, my mum and Jo’s father, set a good example of that, and I even remember my granny working in the business with my uncle, so we’ve continued that and done a really good job of it, I think.
“And of course, so much thanks to all our wonderful customers for making it such a great experience. It will be a bit strange in the future to walk past where the shop used to be, but time moves on.”
Jo adds: “We have a few little parties planned, and we’ll all be checking out what shoes each other are wearing. We’ll still be wearing Walters shoes for a good few years!”