DICK’s SHOES - Historical Albion Michigan

Did you know that Albion once had a store that sold only shoes? In fact, we had several. Before the mid-1960s, many stores only sold “one thing,” and you went from place-to-place to get your shoes, baked goods, clothing, jewelry, etc. With the advent of the suburban department stores and shopping malls in the 1960s, individual stores eventually closed their doors.

In going through various photographs in my archives, I came across a photo recently of a local shoe store that I don’t know much about. It is Dick’s Shoe Store, located at 213 S. Superior St., or the store next to and north of Tuchtenhagen Jewelers. It was owned by Richard “Dick” Lake of Hillsdale, and managed by William Baker who lived on Orchard Drive. Dick’s Shoes sold John C. Roberts, Grace Walker, and Red Goose shoes.

Dick’s Shoes came to Albion in 1954, when Albion was booming. It is first mentioned in the 1955 Albion City Directory, and only afterwards appears in the 1958 and 1960 directories. Mr. Lake sold the store to Donald Wells, also of Hillsdale, and it became Wells Shoes. It is listed as such in the 1962 directory. Donald’s wife Geraldine managed the store. It only operated a couple of years at that location and moved down the street to 221 S. Superior St. (as per the 1963 directory). Dick’s Shoes sold John C. Roberts, Grace Walker, and Red Goose shoes.

From our Historical Notebook this week we present an August, 1954 photograph of the outside of Dick’s Shoes. How many of our readers remember Dick’s Shoes?

	Frank Passic — Albion Historian An Albion native and 1971 graduate of Albion High School, Frank Passic has been researching and writing Albion history since 1976. He is the creator of the Albion Historical Notebook, with hundreds of articles appearing weekly in the Morning Star and The Recorder. Frank maintains an extensive personal archive including Riverside Cemetery records, family surname files, genealogies, photographs, city directories, and high school yearbooks. Support his 2026 research at the Historic Albion Michigan Facebook page. Historical Notebook \| From the Archives \| Subject List \| 100 Years Ago \| Alphabetical Index \| Frank Passic Home Page \| Albion History Books \| Contact Frank
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