Six generations on, family shoe store closes in Rundle Mall after almost 150 years

AFTER trading from the same city address for almost 150 years, a family-owned shoe store in Rundle Mall is closing down.

AFTER trading at the same address for over 100 years, Rundle Mall’s Barlow Shoes is closing down.

The flagship store of the sixth-generation family shoe business is downsizing, leaving ten staff out of work and loyal customers disappointed.

Managing Director Brenton Whittenbury says it was a difficult decision for the family to make.

“We’ve got a lot of regular customers and we have to thank them for being loyal to us for so long, but it’s another chapter in the evolution of the mall I suppose,” he says.

“It’s sad to close Barlows, and it’s particularly sad for the staff.

“But change is inevitable, and it’s time for me to step back a little bit and hand it onto the next generation.”

The company, which also runs Grundy shoes, has traded in the city since 1868.

It will move its signature brands, Doc Martens and Converse into nearby Charles St.

“It could be a lot worse,” Mr Whittenbury says.

“Barlows was still a profitable store (when we made the decision to close),

“So it’s not closing because we’re in debt or losing money.

“Unfortunately the reality is, and it has been for some time, that the last 15 to 20 years of owning that building we would have been better off financially just leasing it out.”

The 53-year-old, who has worked in the store for over 30 years, says it’s bittersweet.

“I will miss the interaction with the customers, the stories you hear, and the characters that come into the shop.”

He says selling Alice Cooper a pair of “black, pointy, elastic-sided boots” was a highlight. The rock legend wore them on stage in his Adelaide concert that night.

“He was nice, he was a good bloke, a regular guy looking for a pair of boots.”

The new lease in the prime location commences on October 1, with Mr Whittenbury unable to divulge what new shop will open, only that it’s not another shoe shop.