Selkirk’s beloved footwear boutique The Foot Shop will be exchanging owners at the end of this month, but its legacy of providing women with style and comfort at reasonable prices isn’t about to change.
Owner Lil Branscombe, who is from Stonewall, is stepping into retirement after 36 years of running the popular store and plans to continue on with the volunteer work she and her husband, Fred, are involved in, as well as catch up with the people she hasn’t been able to see a whole lot of while she managed all aspects of the store, from buying, selling and bookkeeping.
“I am definitely going to miss my customers. My husband has been retired for 23 years and we’re now going to be able to travel and do things we want to. When you own your own business, you don’t get to get away for more than a few weeks,” she said. “And you want to leave before you don’t enjoy what you do anymore, which I think is the case in any business. I still love what I do. We make a lot of people happy that can’t find a particular product.”
The Foot Shop stocks high quality shoes, boots, sandals and running shoes at affordable price points from brands that include Rieker, Romika and Clarks. Some are chic, some are serious, some are just plain fun and others are definitely made for walking. The shop also sells handbags.
Customers can expect to be royally pampered when they pop in. Branscombe or her assistant will set out a fitting stool, sit you down and conduct a thorough investigation of everything foot-related. That can range from physiological foot challenges to how women intend to use their footwear and where they intend to use it. If it turns out that an item chosen by the customer halts them in their tracks, there are alternatives. Branscombe said the ultimate goal is to combine what a customer desires with a really good fit, as well as something they can wear more than once.
“I do tell women if a shoe or boot is not right for them because I like to have my customers wearing my products. When you buy something, I need you wearing it not leaving it in your closet,” said Branscombe. “Most people coming to our store have a foot issue to some degree, whether it’s to do with their arches or they have a bunion or some other issue. We work with them to get the right item. And when they dance out of here happy and excited, we’re happy because we’ve done our job.”
The Foot Shop is well known in the region. Selkirk customers are “very supportive” of the store, said Branscombe, but she also has customers from as far north as Thompson and Churchill, as far west as Vancouver and Calgary and as far east as Ottawa.
“People from the community who’ve moved away sometimes can’t find what they’re used to buying. When they come back to Selkirk to visit family or friends, they load up on shoes,” she said. “And we listen to what customers want. We’re not buying something that won’t be comfortable for them. We also evolve with fashion trends, so if a square toe is trending, we will supply some items in that style.”
A seamless transition to new ownership – Kelly Lewis from Selkirk’s Packers Fashion bought The Foot Shop – is expected with the same quality and price points of the merchandise Branscombe currently sells. But evolution is inevitable.
“Part of our business is to keep up with fashion trends and evolve with them, but at the same time you have to be cognisant of what your particular market is and what people tend to buy. For example, we might not supply something that’s a look more suited to Toronto or Montreal but is not for the Prairies,” she said.
Branscombe’s long-time staff member, Bonnie Melvin, will be providing continuity during the transition to new ownership and she’ll also be providing the same level of personalized service that keeps customers “talking about where they got their shoes” and keeps them coming back, said Branscombe.
“Bonnie has been working with me for 21 years and is going to stay on for the next few years until she retires,” said Branscombe. “She is very knowledgeable about fitting women with the right footwear and brands and styles.”
Branscombe started her footwear business in Stonewall in the 1980s after a 15-year career as a banker for the Royal Bank. She bought a shoe store in Stonewall that came up for sale in 1987 then opened a second location in Selkirk in 1992 before moving to her current location on Manitoba Avenue. She eventually closed her Stonewall store in 2000. Her clientele are primarily women who are 30 years of age and up.
As for where Branscombe plans to buy her shoes after she retires, well, you guessed it.
“I’ll be buying them here for sure,” she said. “When you have a store, it’s like your baby. You nurture it, you grow it and when it comes time to pass it on, you want it to go to somebody who will take good care of it. Kelly [of Packers Fashion] knows the fashion industry and Bonnie, who is so good, is staying on in the shop to share her knowledge and expertise.”
Branscombe is holding a seven-day Black Friday sales event from Nov. 20-26 before she officially retires on Nov. 30.
The Foot Shop at located at 305 Manitoba Ave, next to Packers Fashion on Main Street. Call (204) 482-5536.
Express Photos By Patricia Barrett
