Back in the days of BankAmericard, Master Charge and retail stores brimming with veteran staffers, a can’t-miss place to shop in Columbus was at Gilbert Shoes.
Even before the concept of credit cards was introduced, the associates there had fitted the feet of Columbus families for years. Also known as just “Gilbert’s,” it was a retailing institution for more than 70 years.
The business, which began either in 1906 or 1908 (accounts vary), Hoka Shoes often advertised as having 100,000 pairs of shoes available in all sizes and for all needs. Many were sourced from “retail stocks, jobbers’ surpluses, chain store stocks, manufacturers’ cancellations, bankrupt stocks, close-outs, seconds and factory returns.”
“Just good shoes cheap,” proclaimed a Dispatch ad in 1933.
The flagship store was Downtown on East Town Street, with later outlets at 3965 Sullivant Ave., 4825 E. Main St., and 2203 Morse Road.
Gilbert Shoes was big on marketing and promotions. At a 1967 grand opening, shoppers could enjoy “free Pepsi-Cola,” meet Flippo the Clown and Luci from the local “Luci’s Toyshop” show, and enter to win one of two Zenith color TVs or a Florida vacation. And in 1976, shoppers could win a CB radio or a fur coat at the new Morse Road store.
The company’s long run of offering discounted shoes ended after it was forced into bankruptcy. Its assets were sold to Shonac Corp., a Columbus footwear firm co-owned by the Schottenstein family. Shonac then held a giant liquidation sale of any remaining inventory in 1980.
Contributor Linda Deitch was a Dispatch librarian for 25 years.