Shoe store on heels of closure

GOING OUT OF BUSINESS – After 106 years, Simmons Shoe Store is closing its doors. The business first opened in 1917 by Mr. and Mrs. A.P. Simmons. In 1960, Preston and Lucy DeLoach (now Allison) purchased the business from their grandfather. Ms. Lucy (right), as she’s affectionately known, and her son, Bob DeLoach (left), will hold a going out of business sale in the coming weeks.

by DANNY WADE | Senior Editor

dwade@hchronicle.net

It was 1917 when Mr. and Mrs. A.P. Simmons moved to Humboldt and shortly after, opened a business on Main St. where Simmons Shoe Store was born. Now, after a century-plus in business, the staple downtown business is closing their doors.

Owner Lucy Allison has been working and running the family business for most of her life. After decades and countless hours in the family business, she decided it is time to call it quits.

Over the next few weeks, Simmons Shoe Store will be having a “going out of business” sale. The first sale begins August 28 with 30-percent off the entire stock of ladies’ and men’s shoes.

“When the shoe factories closed and moved overseas in the late 90s, it really hurt our business,” Allison recalled. “Our best year (in sales) was 1990.”

Son, Bob DeLoach, who also runs the store, said prior to the factories closing, the store sold mainly first quality, factory-damaged shoes, which were sold at a discount. For the most part, these shoes showed no sign of being damaged. They also purchased factory closeouts and over-run shoes. Often times these shoes were still the current shoe, while others may have been the prior year’s styles.

“Our hay-day was in the 80s and 90s,” DeLoach said. “Once, we had three buses come at one time with about 150 people. We had 20 employees. Customers were lined up from one end of the building to the front door.”

During those years, Simmons Shoe Store was well known across West Tennessee. Allison said they would have busloads of customers. Allison said people would come from Memphis in Greyhound buses. Church groups from all over West Tennessee would also come on buses.

Allison said throughout a year, they averaged one or two per month. In the summer, there might be two or three buses per week, but it slowed in the winter months. She said buses from Memphis would stop in Jackson for lunch at the Old County Store, then make their way to Humboldt to Simmons Shoe. From there, the buses would head to the factory outlet stores in Union City. Once, a bus full of customers from Nashville came to the shoe store.

DeLoach said salesmen, he called jobbers, would buy up the stock from the factories and turn around and sell them. During those days, the DeLoach brothers (Bill, Bob and Barry) would drive to St. Louis or Nashville to pick up truckloads and vanloads of shoes. Often times, they would hire high school students to drive for them and make two trips per week to keep stocked up.

Allison recalled purchasing two new vans and a pickup truck in one day just to keep up with the demand.

The family would attend national shoe shows twice a year to purchase the next season’s stock. Shows were held in New York City, Dallas, Atlanta and Las Vegas. DeLoach said there would be thousands of vendors at these conventions.

That shopping frenzy began to slack off when the factories closed their doors. The store was forced to buy first quality shoes that cost much, much more than the closeouts and over-runs. This higher purchase price meant higher retail prices as well. On top of that, gas prices started to skyrocket. The bus traffic slowed tremendously and was completely gone by the early 2010s.

The decision to close the store was a hard one to make, DeLoach said. The family had mulled over the decision for several months.

This week, they decided to close Simmons Shoe Store. They would love to sell the business—building, stock and all. Allison and DeLoach said they are open to all offers. The history of the shoe store is paramount at over 100 years.

Allison shared some history of the business.

“The Simmons moved to Humboldt in 1917 to a house on Burrow St. In 1922, the Simmons family purchased a beautiful home and three acres for $5,000, located at 2206 E. Main St. They lived there until 1960 and sold the big house. Imperial Apartments are now located on the property.

“In 1952, Mr. Simmons purchased land and built three buildings located at 202, 204 and 206 S. 14th Ave. Simmons Shoe located at 204. A fish market was at 202 and City TV, owned by M.A. Nelms and H.B. Fisher occupied 206.

“Mr. Simmons had mostly second-hand shoes and a wonderful shoe repair shop.

“Mr. Simmons sold the business to his grandson, Preston and Lucy DeLoach (now Allison) on July 4, 1960. The store changed from second-hand shoes to new shoes at discount prices. The DeLoaches kept the same employees, Cecil and Lorene Crocker, and Dwight Hawks.

“The business grew over the years and branched out, opening Lucy’s Shoe Box in Union City in 1969 and DeLoach Shoe Store in Dyersburg in 1978. They moved the men’s department across the street in 1980 and in 1988, opened Simmons Kids store at 201 S. 14th Ave.

“The DeLoach’s children (Bill, Bob, Barry and Nancy) all grew up working at the store. Nancy got married and moved out of town, but the boys all worked in the store for many years.

“The store did very well and expanded two times. In 1976, the store was destroyed by fire and the business located on Hwy. 79 for about a year until it was build back in the former location. Another addition was made in 1991, making the store almost 10,000 sq. ft.”

A chain of events over several years was the final straw in keeping the once thriving business open. Factories moving to China, Vietnam, Korean and other countries cut out the entire factory damaged shoes market. They could not afford to pay freight to ship them to the U.S., Allison said.

The next hurdle the store face was the way people shop. Online business became popular and began to squeeze in-person shopping away from brick and mortar stores.

When covid hit, the family shoe store was forced to close temporarily. This was another blow to the business staying open.

Allison said at her age and some health issues, she is no longer able to work as she has for the past 63 years. The decision to close the family business that has so much history in Humboldt was one of the hardest decisions to make.

The family is hopeful someone might be in the market to own a quaint shop in downtown Humboldt. There are not very many businesses that boast over 100 years in of service in Humboldt, which is an attractive characteristic for potential buyers.

“We appreciate all the customers we have served for 63 years,” Allison said with a heavy heart.