Remember When Columbus: Gilbert’s was the place to go for shoes
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 D...