After 45 years of selling and repairing shoes in Wayne, Lou and Bob D’Amicantonio have decided to close their third-generation store, Angelo D’Amicantonio & Son, writes Pete Bannan for the Daily Times.

The store has been part of Wayne since 1932, when their grandfather Angelo opened a shoe repair shop at North Wayne and Lancaster avenues. The current store is at 157 West Lancaster Avenue.

Angelo D’Amicantonio & Son held its own against malls and the Internet with its customer service, quality, and fair prices. But the owners, 65 and 69, are ready to retire.

“We were going six days a week, no vacations,” Bob said. “It’s just tough.”

People have responded strongly to the news of the closing.

“We came in that Sunday to put out that sign in the window, and on Monday, I couldn’t believe it, all hell broke loose,” Bob said.

The brothers have sold shoes and made shoe repairs for everyone from Hope Scott to the cop on the beat.

Grandfather Angelo learned the craft as a teen in Naples, taking his skills with him when he immigrated to the U.S. in 1912. His store has stayed in the family ever since.

Read more about Angelo D’Amicantonio & Son in the Daily Times.