HISTORICAL COMMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER

Shoe Stores

The history of shoe stores in Salisbury goes back to at least 1878. In those days, the shoemaker was an accomplished leather worker. He probably worked on many of the leather accessories associated with horses. There are three listed for Salisbury in the 1878 Maryland Directory. In the 1891 Peninsula Directory, there are four establishments listed under “Boot and Shoemakers and Dealers” in Salisbury and neither of them are one of the three that were in business in 1878.

         

1899 saw seven stores selling boots and shoes, one of them being R. E. Powell Co. which many of us recall as still being in business through the 1960’s. How many remember the contraption they had where you put your feet in a large wooden box on a stand and it would show a green outline of your foot in the shoe you were contemplating purchasing to see if the fit was correct. There were also six businesses calling themselves “Shoemakers”, two of which were owned by African-Americans.

         

The E. Homer White Shoe Co. first appeared in the 1907 Salisbury Directory. The “Big Shoe” in front of the store was a Main St. icon. E. Homer White purchased a half interest in the shoe business of Homer Dickerson in 1896 and bought him out in 1898. The shoe store was in business until 1964 when E. Homer White, Jr. died.

         

Lacy Thoroughgood had a clothing store on Main St, and the button puller was an advertising give-away. The early high button shoes were easier to get on if you had one of these button pullers. This is from around 1910.

         

Another full line clothing and shoe store was Harvey Whitely, who advertised himself on the shoe horn as “the shoe man”. He was in business on S. Division St. from at least 1907 to 1921.

         

A shoe repair business that survived at least from 1916 to 1961 was the Arcade Shoe Repair Co., owned by Christus G. Chames I remember the business as being on E. Main St. near the Hubert R. White Hardware Store. He also had a hat blocking service which is unheard of these days. Another shoe repair business that many remember was the Ace Shoe Service near Watson’s Smoke House on W. Main St. Mr. Phillips opened the business in at least 1940 and was still in business in 1961.

         

Other shoe stores that have been a large part of the Salisbury business community were Edward’s (run by Eddie Shilkret at least from 1940) and the Vernon H. Powell Shoe Co. (still operating as VP Shoes and the Athlete). Vernon Powell started this business at least as far back as 1940. I remember my grandmother always shopped from Vernon Powell. Being deaf, there was no conversation between her and Mr. Powell. She would just walk in and tap him on the shoulder. He would just drop whatever he was doing and get her the two pairs of shoes she wanted. The style was always the same and she always bought a size 7 and a size 7 ½. She would start the day with the 7’s and after lunch she would put on the 7 ½’s, claiming her feet had swelled during the day. Makes sense to me.