‘With a heavy heart,’ Reyers Shoe Store is leaving Sharon for Eastwood Mall, after 135 years
NILES — A "venerable and wildly popular" shoe retailer is closing its foundational downtown Sharon storefront, which it's maintained for 135 years, and moving to the Eastwood Mall.
It's expected to open Aug. 1 in a 14,000-square-foot space in the Niles mall's JCPenney concourse.
Mark Jubelirer, Reyers Shoe Store president, said the decision to move the store a little more than a dozen miles across the state line was made "with a heavy heart."
"Our large footprint here [in Sharon] is geared to a bigger volume than we're able to maintain. We've seen this coming for several years now," he told Mahoning Matters Tuesday.
The company for years hunted for a smaller venue.
"They finally settled on the fact that Eastwood Mall is the best place for them. We're delighted they agreed," said Joe Bell, spokesperson for mall owner Cafaro Co.
Reyers is a "marquis" name in shoe shopping, reads a release from Eastwood Mall. It built that name on its highly trained staff and wide selection of shoes, which includes hard-to-find sizes, Jubelirer said.
"We're going to open with equal enthusiasm in the Eastwood Mall," he said. "Our hearts will still be in Sharon, where we've been nurtured and where we've thrived and where we've grown up over generations.
"Most of the customers feel as we do — that they'll miss us as we'll miss them. They understand that the world has changed around us. Being regretful will only take you so far. We certainly didn't want to close the business altogether."
Jubelirer runs the store alongside his brother Steven, both of whom are nearing 70 but not ready to retire, Mark said.
"We'd like to see Reyers survive us."
The company plans to continue its philanthropic efforts in the Sharon community, like the Shoe Our Children campaign, which donated 900 pairs of shoes to children in 2014, according to the Sharon Herald, and other efforts for animal welfare and local parks.
From the Eastwood Mall release:
"The store's rich history will be on display for customers to enjoy. Reyers was originally founded in 1886 by German immigrant John Reyer, a cobbler. John later handed down the little shop to his son Carl and in the early 1950s he sold the store to the Jubelirer family from Pittsburgh. Harry Jubelirer, his sons, and dedicated staff built the little shoe store into what it is today. Over the years, Reyer's has been featured in Time magazine, USA Today, and The David Letterman Show. Sons Mark and Steve Jubelirer continue to run the store today.
"Reyers has been named one of the best shoe stores in the world. It features a vast selection of women's and men's footwear for formal, work, leisure, athletic and specialized outdoor needs. Reyers' customer service is legendary. The sales staff wins national service awards all the time. Reyers specializes in sizes that other stores just don't carry. It also offers a fabulous collection of accessories of jewelry and handbags."
This story was originally published May 25, 2021 at 2:52 PM with the headline "‘With a heavy heart,’ Reyers Shoe Store is leaving Sharon for Eastwood Mall, after 135 years."