The owner of a longstanding Swindon shoe shop has spoken about the secrets to its success through tough economic times. Mark Blaylock is the fourth generation in his family to manage the well-known retailer that rounds the corner of Devizes Road and Bath Road in Old Town, which originally opened in Gorse Hill as a shoe repair business before moving in 1928. Safety measures introduced during the pandemic prevented the business from celebrating its centennial, while the rise of online shopping and the post-Covid cost of living crisis created challenging circumstances for the store’s survival.
But Mark is hopeful about the future and is certain that the broad range of shoes his shop exclusively offers and the one-to-one customer service that only in-store shopping can provide will ensure Blaylocks stays open for the foreseeable future. He said: “We are a destination. Besides serving the local community, we have customers who travel a considerable distance to get to us because of our stock, staff, and advice - factors that we trust will continue to offset the online challenge.
"We are thankful for loyal longstanding staff - like Claire Fisher who has served over 30 years - because of the service they provide, that’s how we’ve been able to keep going as a small business while large chains shut shops and lay people off. "It’s been more challenging since the pandemic, when we couldn’t open for months at a time, and more people are shopping online now. "We sense that peop.