After 18 years of owning the historic Hastings Griffiths Footwear store Martin and Kay Pipe are shutting down to retire and travel around in their camper-van. Photo / Warren Buckland
After 18 years of owning the historic Hastings Griffiths Footwear store Martin and Kay Pipe are shutting down to retire and travel around in their camper-van. Photo / Warren Buckland
After 18 years of running Griffiths Footwear, owners Martin and Kay Pipe are getting ready to close the iconic store.
The two took on the ownership of the staple Heretaunga street shoe shop in the early 2000s from the previous owners who had been there for 53 years.
Griffiths Footwear is not just any retail store, it is also a part of Hastings' history supplying the community with footwear since 1914.
For a few years, Martin and Kay have been looking at selling the store and retiring to travel around in their camper-van with their two dogs Bella and Gaia.
Martin Pipe said, "this closure is not due to Covid, it's because I'm getting old."
In 2020 when Covid hit, Griffiths Footwear actually had one of the "better years" that they have ever had.
For the last year, Martin and Kay have had the store on the market, however, there have been no bites.
Due to seasonal stock orders placed 18 months in advance, Kay Pipe said they had to decide quite early on that if the shoe shop hadn't sold that they would close at the end of the financial year.
The couple did have a staff member who had been working at Griffiths for the previous owner. She retired more than two years ago and Martian and Kay decided to carry on with just the two of them, as they knew they would be selling and didn't want to leave staff in the lurch.
The store will officially close on March 30.
"It is sad that it's not moving on to a new owner as it has been a part of Hastings for so many years. It may be a shock to some of our customers," Martin said.
Kay and Martin Pipe, along with their dogs Gaia and Bella, spending some time around the popular shop piano. Photo / Warren Buckland
Although Griffiths Footwear has been around for 108 years, Martin and Kay have been able to stamp their own personality on the shop while they have owned it.
Not many people can say they own a shoe shop with a piano in the middle and two welcoming dogs.
Dogs Bella and Gaia go to work with the couple most days and will lay around the shop greeting customers.
The store's white piano, wrapped in music sheets, has been available and welcoming for anyone who wanted to play.
Martin said the piano will not be coming with them on their new adventure and it is now for sale.
The duo is going to miss the interaction with customers, with both Martin and Kay saying they enjoy the "difficult" customer - the challenge of trying to find a specific shoe or size for someone who may usually have trouble in other footwear shops.
Griffiths Footwear has a following of lifelong customers as well as casual walk-ins, with some customers coming from as far as Taupō, Gisborne and even Auckland.
The husband and wife team said they have done their 18 years and now they are on to do something different.
"We are going to miss the interactions with the customers and we have a great appreciation for the fantastic customers and community support we have had over the years," Martin said.
The closing down sale has begun with only one month 'till Griffiths Footwear closes its doors for good.
