Sten’s Stride Rite a David among goliath stores
Ron Sten holds a popular hybrid sandal-hiking shoe.
Sue Sten helping several customers with fittings.
Some of the “stylish” kids boat shoes Sten says are gaining popularity.
Wedged in between Toys R Us and Half Price Books on Oxford Drive is a specialty kids shoe store – one of only two in the area after a spate of other Stride Rite stores closed due to cannibalized competition.
“We’re survivors. We’ve cut our own salaries and still maintained value for our customers – discounts, personalized service and our location,” 68 year-old owner Ron Sten said.
The stores in Greensburg and Bethel Park are the last regional stores to stay open after competing Stride Rite stores in Tanger Outlets and the Ross Park Mall closed.
“The ironic thing is our biggest competitors were other Stride stores. We’re not franchises. Each store had licenses to sell Stride Rite brand products, but we never coordinated and business was stolen from each other,” Sten said.
Sten’s store, at its location since 1988, focuses on kids up to age 8.
“We started out as an orthopedics shoe company – speciality shoes that we’d make for doctor-prescribed foot ailments,” Sten said, ” and we grew to seven stores, and eventually came to be more of an overall kids store, for athletic shoes and now more fashionable shoes.”
Keeping up with fashion trends and the demands of athletic support is what helped Sten’s store survive a recession and the closures faced by department stores.
“We carry Sperry-Topsider, which is a stylish boat shoe for kids. They’re also suitable around water. And we have Keen, an outdoor brand that features a hybrid sandle-hiking shoe, which is very popular because they are open, breathable and have a raised-bump toe for protection and grip.”
Ron’s wife Sue, also works in the store, and was sizing children in New Balance athletic shoes.
“Adults know the comfort and support of New Balance, but kids need that, too,” she said. “The New Balance models are great for those with inserts or foot problems because they custom-fit width sizes.”
Keeping up on popular brands and models are only part of why Sten’s store has remained open.
“We had to stay open here for our people. We have a manager who’s been here 26 years, Connie, and she wasn’t ready to retire, so we said, ‘We can’t close. Not now.’ Not for a while,” Ron Sten said.
“And we’re dedicated to this community. We renewed our rent for another 10 years. We’ll see if I can make it to 78, but I’ll still be working here.”