Saxon Shoes at Short Pump Town Center (Photo by Jay Paul)
When Saxon Shoes first opened in 1953 at 410 E. Grace St., there was only one full-time employee: Jack Weiner, who started the store with his wife, Gloria. By the early 1970s, there was another Weiner stocking shelves — their son, Gary, who would later run the business for nearly four decades.
Now 66, Gary Weiner is looking forward to retirement. Saxon Shoes, owned by the family for 70 years, has been sold to Comfort One Shoes, a family-owned company based in Northern Virginia.
“My daughter, Amanda, is still there as director of Saxon Shoes Richmond,” Weiner says. “The name is not changing. The whole staff is staying. They’re going to keep all the great Saxon brands.”
Saxon Shoes offers all types of footwear for men, women and children — from Birkenstocks and boots to dress shoes and sneakers. The main indicator of change since the November sale is the introduction of Comfort One’s in-house brand, Vaqay, and other international brands that Comfort One favors.
“It should be a great situation — same look, same feel, but more brands,” Weiner says.
The location will not change, either. Comfort One negotiated a 10-year lease on the property in Short Pump Town Center, where Saxon Shoes has been located since 2005.
This is not the first time Saxon Shoes has seen major changes. In 1989, Saxon left the city for Henrico County’s Ridge Shopping Center on Parham Road. It closed for nine months after a fire in 2001, then made the move to Short Pump in 2005. A Fredericksburg location, opened in 2009, closed earlier this year.
“Business was good, on an upward trend,” Weiner says. “Timing is everything. At 66, my plan is to do a little more of everything I’ve been doing for the last 25 years — except work.”
