Buckhead family-owned shoe store closing after 114 years

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - For the last 40 years, Mark Shemaria has greeted customers at Bennie’s Shoes with a smile and the occasional joke.

And he won’t stop now, even as the shop’s days on Buckhead’s Piedmont Road are numbered.

Shemaria’s family has owned the Atlanta staple known for polishing, repairing, and eventually selling shoes for the last 114 years.

Those who have shopped at Bennie’s from the late Congressman John Lewis to Outkast’s Andre 3000.

“CEO’s, all the politicians, and governors,” said Shemaria.

But those days are coming to an end.

Shemaria says the world has changed and so has Atlanta. He says a shoe store like his is a thing of the past.

“I used to be a dress shoe store, now most people get their shoes at Costco. You know, here’s $19 give me my pair of shoes,” he said.

With business down 85% since the pandemic, Shemaria can’t afford to stay.

“When your own manufacturer sells shoes to the public cheaper than they want to sell them to me, that’s when you know its over,” said Shemaria.

Longtime customers are enjoying the discount signs but many, like Shemaria himself, are far from ready to say goodbye.

“You walk in, it’s been the same ambiance it’s been forever. I just enjoy the smell, the banter, the wit, the wisdom, and the quality of the shoes,” said Tony Smith, a customer for the last 40 years.

“I’m a little emotional so, I’ll probably end up driving by when the store’s closed just to have something to do, my wife and I,” said Clarence Spearman, a customer for the last 30 years.

Bennie’s Shoes will officially close its doors on Sept. 30.

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