Laurie's Shoes Celebrates 70th Anniversary

Laurie’s Shoes, a fourth-generation family owned and operated footwear store, recently marked its 70th anniversary.

Laurie’s Shoes was founded in 1951 by Wally and Joan Waldman along with Joan’s father Morris Goldman. Wally passed away in 1984, and Joan remained heavily involved in the business. She introduced the company’s “Balloons for the Kids and Dad’s Cookies for All” policy plus worked as a courier to transfer shoes among store locations and customer’s homes. Joan continued as the business matriarch until passing in 2011.

Wally and Joan’s children Mark, Patty, and Scott joined the family business in 1976. Mark serves as president of the companies, and Patty and Scott are both vice presidents. Great grandson Jacob Waldman joined the company in 2016 as assistant web manager, and great grandson Sam Baker became involved in the business in 2019 as sales and associate manager.

The Laurie’s model has remained the same for the past 70 years. Its skilled sales team, including certified Pedorthists, measure each customer’s feet to determine the best shoe based upon various factors including walking tendencies, arch attributes, and foot length. The staff are knowledgeable in terms of the latest footwear technology, fashion trends, and Pedorthic insight.

At one time Laurie’s Shoes had a total of six stores, four of which were located in Missouri and Illinois shopping malls. Today the business has two storefronts – the original Manchester location and its Birkenstock & More in Creve Coeur that opened in 2006 – in addition to a sweeping online presence that serves customers located throughout the U.S. with free delivery. The stores carry a total of more than 60,000 pairs of children and adult brands, as well as a variety of accessories.

Shoe Roads Productions, a division of Laurie’s Shoes, was founded in 2002. The company brings a large selection of footwear directly to medical professionals at hospitals, providing time-saving on-site shoe shopping at 145 Midwestern hospitals. A portion of all in person and virtual shoe sales by medical employees and their families serve as a year-round fundraiser to subsidize the hospital’s chosen philanthropies.

“For the past 70 years, our steadfast commitment has remained the same in terms of providing excellent customer service and offering the best product lines available in the marketplace,” said Laurie’s Shoes president Mark Waldman. “This is a remarkable milestone our multi-generational family has achieved, and we look forward to serving the St. Louis community and our online customers for many years to come.”

Laurie’s Shoes is headquartered at 9916 Manchester Rd., and Birkenstock & More is located at 12350 Olive Blvd. in Creve Coeur. For more information, call (314) 961-1642 or visit Laurie's Shoes.