Four Decades of Putting Their Best Foot Forward at The Shoe Buckle

Ruth Sackowitz wears a size six and a half narrow shoe, and as anyone with a foot that small will know, had a very hard time finding shoes with a comfort and style she desired. So she decided to do something about it, and that’s why Sackowitz opened on Mercer Street in Hightstown 42 years ago.

Eventually, she started teaching first grade and her husband Harry, a chicken farmer, ended up selling his farm and running the store day-to-day.

The family business is thriving today in the hands of their son, Stu, and grandson, Rob Sackowitz, who have added two more stores to the family business. If the Shoe Fits is located in downtown Red Bank and Best Foot Forward is in the Liberty Bell Shopping Center in Cherry Hill. All three stores pride themselves on the personalized service that put The Shoe Buckle on the map four decades ago, and the original store remains the largest independent family-owned shoe store in central New Jersey.

Sackowitz came into the family business as a 23-year-old in 2000 when the family was opening that second location in Red Bank. He says it was his grandfather who set the standards for the customized level of service that made their store distinctive, and though it’s been almost three years since he passed away, he misses him dearly.

“My grandfather was my best friend,” Sackowitz said. “We hung out together every day. At heart, he really was a chicken farmer, so when he came into the shoe business, he had to learn everything from the ground up. He did it well because he really was the best, most patient and understanding person."

Sackowitz said The Shoe Buckle is a full-service shoe store, and he shops the world to make sure his customers have the largest selection of shoes that are both fashionable and comfortable.

“We measure people’s feet and we know how to adjust the shoe to make it fit more comfortably,” he said. “We work with over 50 podiatrists in the area. They call us or they give the customer a prescription they can fill here. We have two pedorthists on staff – they are like the pharmacists of the shoe industry. We also have a full on-site lab that does custom orthotics, elevations and corrections. If our customers have foot conditions like hammertoes, bunions or corns, we listen to what they say and we can get a good handle on what’s going on.”

Sackowitz has a treasure trove of local history in his head, passed along to him by his family. He explains that when his grandparents opened the store 42 years ago, Hightstown was the gateway between Freehold and Princeton and there were no malls. The biggest challenge of staying in business is developing new clientele. He said that of all three stores, the Hightstown store is still the top performer, in part because of its long-standing reputation for quality products and excellent service.

“We are a destination store and people will drive 30, 40 miles to come here,” said Sackowitz. “If you lived in Manalapan, you probably wouldn’t drive 25 minutes to drop off and pick up your dry cleaning here, but you will drive 25 minutes to buy shoes in my store. We are very proud of that. We have customers who used to buy their children’s shoes here and even when they’ve grown up and moved out of state, when they come back for a visit, they’ll still come by to buy shoes.” 

Ten years ago, he and his father were looking to the future and trying to forecast shoe trends and what they would need to do to stay competitive and relevant to their customers.

“We wanted to carry higher-end footwear that was comfortable and also looked fashionable. We have great European designers – Stuart Weitzman, Donald Pliner, Cole Haan, Arche, Thierry Rabotin, Pas de Rouge – and we have an extensive selection of comfort casual shoes – SAS, Munro, Mephisto and Beautifeel, for example.”

With the three stores, Sackowitz explains that they are one of the largest authorized UGG brand retailers in New Jersey. He said he learned the business side of running the stores from his father, things like buying the right shoes and dealing with the manufacturers. But when it comes to the less tangible side, how to succeed in business and keep the customers satisfied so they keep coming back, he said that came from his grandfather and he is proud to live up to his standards.

“He’d sit here for hours and hours with customers to help them, guide them, and fix their shoes,” he reminisced. “They don’t make guys like him any more. He was special.”