Finding Minnesota: Burkhartzmeyer Shoes
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Every small business has a secret for how they keep customers coming back.
Burkhartzmeyer Shoes in Faribault is one of the largest family-owned shoe stores in the Midwest, and they are celebrating 67 years in business.
The store looks like any other shoe store at first glance. But instead of buying a pair of shoes and heading out the door, this place is more of the "full service" variety.
"We're like a dinosaur," said owner Brian Burkhartzmeyer.
Like a dinosaur, in the sense that nowadays they do things that most places would not.
"There aren't many places that make good shoe stretchers anymore," said Buck Burkhartzmeyer.
Buck is the heart and soul of this operation. He has been around the shoe business since he was 3 years old.
Now, at the age of 92, he still loves what he's doing.
"I lost my wife seven years ago to dementia and I'm not the type of guy that can sit at home," Buck. "I don't have to punch a clock or anything like I used to."
When Buck and his brothers returned home from World War II, their dad helped them get this shoe store running.
"We were all gifted in a different way and it all worked out OK for us," Buck said. "We couldn't all be bosses."
Buck's gift was knowing how to take pain away. He was one of the first certified pedorthists in the state of Minnesota, knowing how to fit, fabricate and adjust shoes accordingly. With that skill came unlimited knowledge of the human foot.
"Your foot goes up and down right around 13,000 times a day. The average American walks over 75,000 [miles] in his lifetime. That's a lot of miles," Buck said.
Buck's son, Brian, say his dad is there for him every day.
"I had him this morning helping me with several things. He's my sidekick," Brian said. "It used to be the other way around, but obviously the age factor and stuff like that."
It's old-fashioned shoe repair and old-fashioned customer service that keep people like Tina Knudsen coming back.
"About 30, at least 30 years," Tina said. "He's a good guy. He knows everything about your feet."
Twins great Harmon Killebrew could attest. Buck helped him after surgery.
"He was a fine gentleman. Very, very nice man," Buck said.
Instead of fading, Buck still helps thousands of people -- from athletes to everyday folks -- across the state and even the country. He proves that old adage that if the shoe fits, wear it, especially when the staff has generations-worth of knowledge.
"If you take care of somebody with pain, they'll come back all the time and they won't ask you the price," Buck said.
The Burkhartzmeyers say a good part of their business comes from people with diabetes who need specialized shoes. They hope to continue to help those customers as long as they can.
Buck's son Brian and his nephew, Bruce, took over the family business a few years back.
