Smith’s Shoe Center in Bloomington is going out of business after 67 years and three generations of ownership.
Store Owner Steve Smith says it was a difficult decision, but the retail business is changing.
An existing meat market located in the same South Walnut Street shopping plaza as Smith’s Shoe Center will expand into the store’s space.
Smith says he and the Wagon Wheel owners have developed a friendship and he’s excited for a new beginning.
"Wagon Wheel will also, in their expansion, give every one of our team members, some that have been with me 25 plus years, an opportunity with their organization as well as myself," Smith says.
He says he considered the three things that are most important to him while deciding whether to close: his employees, his family, and the space they occupy.
"It certainly is a decision that was difficult and challenging but a perfect situation that presented the three things that I care most about," Smith says.
Smith’s Shoe Store will close next month.