For 25 years, the Cobblers Bench in Frandor has been the place for thousands of Lansing-area residents to go for comfortable, quality shoes and personalized, expert service. Owner Josh Parker and crew are so good at what they do that many customers are referred to them by podiatrists—in effect, putting patients’ feet in their hands.

Parker, who worked his way up from part-time help to manager, bought the business from original owners Jolene and Elden Gustafson in January 2004. He said that he and the Gustafsons share a belief that the most important thing you can do is treat the customer right. Do that, and sales will follow. Demonstrate to the customer that you really care about him or her and they’ll be back.

A second store, in Central Park Place in Okemos, opened in the third quarter of 2004 and attracts a slightly different clientele. The store has more of a business feel and serves more of a “dressy” client. Though it stocks only about one-third of the 12,000 shoes that its big brother in Frandor inventories, Parker said they carry the same commitment to expertise and customer service, and are off to a good start.

Asked about his top sellers, Parker said that SAS, out of San Antonio, produces an excellent made-in-America shoe that is extremely comfortable and distributes in the Midwest through independent retailers only. The Okemos store also carries the Franco Sarto and Van Eli brands, known for their fashion and fit.

Both stores sell shoes from Dansko, Birkenstock and Hush Puppies, all of which Parker consider excellent shoes for a reasonable price. And the latest trend? Moccasins. That’s right—Pocahontas footwear. And not just for wearing around the house. Parker said with beads, you can do a lot of different colors, and, because they’re in the $40-50 range, customers can afford to have a little fun with them.

Between both locations, the stores employ 12 people, all of whom know a lot more than which end of the horn goes in the shoe. That’s because Parker, like the Gustafsons before him, insists that his employees become experts at fitting customers, something of a dying art at today’s off-the-rack-and-go discounters. And it’s this service, along with fair pricing, in-style merchandise, and the Cobblers Bench history of community involvement, that brings poor old soles back to the Cobblers Bench again and again.

		Jack Schaberg