After 43 years of service and dedication to the City of Alliance, Redman’s Shoes is closing its doors.
A number of factors went into the decision to shutter their doors, Redman’s Owner Dave Pearse explained, including supply issues, age and the desire to be in control of the timing of the closing process.
In a post on their social media, Pearse explained that the business model is a dying one, with the pandemic driving nails into the coffin of the model.
“Redman’s Shoes in Alliance is closing in general because; ‘BIG’ has won, this business model is dead, the pandemic accelerating shopping on line and leaving retail stores less important to sell the merchandise, suppliers like ‘Nike, Asics, Levi, Hush Puppy, Dr Martin, Spenco, Crocs, Clarks and few more’ are closing our account between 2020 and 2022 due to our size and their increase in on line sales, not being able to open new accounts like ‘Hoka, Hey Dudes, Brooks, Birks, Adidas and others’ due to supply chain issues, being an independent rather than part of a chain of stores and finally location,” the post read.
Pearse noted in the post that not having suppliers that are willing to work with them has made it difficult to run the business.
“So, if we can’t have the Brands that we helped build over the years by selling them in store and we can’t open new accounts with Brands that our customers want then it becomes a very difficult day telling customers we don’t have what they want,” the post read. “Difficult for customers and soul crushing for us. Our idea of having something to sell for any age customer goes against the new way of specializing and being big.”
In an interview with the Alliance Times-Herald, Pearse cited other factors as playing a role in the decision to close such as the structure of the business affecting Pearse’s retirement from the railroad, help issues and the City of Alliance altering its policy for snow removal in downtown Alliance.
“Right now there’s three of us and that’s it,” Pearse said. “A shoe store is a labor intensive selling process. It’s not like they can just go grab a shirt off the rack and a pair of socks off the shelf. They have to try them on, see how they fit and look, so it’s not a grab and go scenario, or at least that’s the way we’ve always considered it.
“Trying not to be negative here, but the City of Alliance, especially with the snow removal lately, has basically said that they were going to clean snow for the rest of the year and they haven’t done that,”
said Pearse. “All the snow in the gutters are there because they changed the system on us, and they have all their reasons, they have their financial reasons, but they are not, what I would call pro-business, or pro-consumer safety. They told us we had to scoop our sidewalks, but we couldn’t put it in the street. Explain to me where I’m supposed to put snow, when we get 10 inches of snow, where am I supposed to put it? I don’t understand what I’m supposed to do as a business person.”
Redman’s Shoes was part of a chain of shoe stores opened by Joseph Redman across the state of Nebraska. At one time, there were as many as 15 stores open, though that number declined to two: the location in Alliance and the original location that was opened in Kearney. Pearse said the closure of the Alliance location will not affect the Kearney location.
Pearse said there is not a set timeline for the closure of Redman’s Shoes, noting that they will be in the process of liquidating inventory.
“We’ve had a lot of discussions in here talking about it,” Pearse said. “I think it will be several months. Some of my employees think this will go quicker than that, but I don’t know how physically it’s possible when you have three people and basically one cash register. The demand might be here, but it’s just going to take time. I want to turn it into a marathon and not a sprint because if we try to, we’ll have people collapsing. COVID is still out there, and I don’t want to be a hotspot. I want everyone to be safe and comfortable and to find what they need.”
In reflecting on the business, Pearse said that the most rewarding aspects of the business were involvement in the community and support from generations customers.
“We were involved in lots of different events and lots of different promotions, and collaboration, not just with the industry, but with fellow business people,” said Pearse. “It was just a lot of fun. There’s multiple really good families in this community that have supported our store, and we’ve loved servicing and being more than customers and merchants, but friends. It’s been a good life.”