Owner Terry Thompson and his daughter Jennifer have decided to close the now-struggling business at the end of the month. However, he wanted to thank his area customers for their support over the ups and downs weathered by the store over the years.

Thompson specifically cited economic declines for the business due to the closures of Youngstown Sheet and Tube and General Motors Lordstown, which had sent a lot of customers seeking work boots his way, to the pandemic and the trend of online shopping that has flourished in post-COVID America.

Thompson had started the shop in 1975, after suffering a severe back injury that pushed him into the shoe repair trade.

Over that 49 years, Thompson would find Cobbler’s Corner needing to move four times to larger locations.

Some goodbyes to store fixtures will be harder than others for Cobbler’s Corner employees. For example, these wood shelves in a back store room were favorite hiding places and graffiti spots for their children, who often would accompany them to work if child care was an issue. Owner Terry Thompson didn’t seem to mind, as he believed the children brightened up the place. (Photo by Stephanie Ujhelyi)

Eventually he began carrying Red Wing boots and various other shoe and apparel lines as the shop size allowed.

Now in its fifth location at the Village Plaza, the store is 8,000 square feet and at its height stocked 10,000 pairs of shoes plus a myriad of equipment to repair and make client shoes.

At his initial location on South Main Street, Thompson also made tack and saddles in his operation.

When deciding to stick to the human clientele on a full time basis, Thompson invented and patented the E-Z Caster in addition to the E-Z Gait Drop-Foot Brace.

Cobbler’s Corner is especially proud of being Columbiana’s oldest, continuous business.

No, that isn’t a COVID mask. This mannequin at Cobbler’s Corner in Columbiana literally is a standing sale beacon, advertising the store’s closing sale discount on his face. Columbiana’s longest operating retail business will close its doors permanently at the end of August. (Photo by Stephanie Ujhelyi)

His daughter Jennifer is a pedorthist and has run the store after his retirement to Florida in 2017.

Still cautious about exposure to COVID after largely sheltering in place during the pandemic, the public has continued to shop online and have their chosen products shipped to their homes, impacting retail establishments like Cobbler’s Corner.

Reliable, return customers over multiple generations is what a brick-and-mortar business is built on, with customer service as the huge attraction compared to online.

As Thompson noted, “COVID has changed how people interact today. Jennifer and I just made the decision to close the store with honor.”

Once Cobbler’s Corner is closed for good, Thompson plans to return to Port Lucia, Fla., where he has worked as a minister full-time since 2018.

Although owner Terry Thompson got his start with shoe repair at Cobbler’s Corner, the Columbiana store quickly gained a reputation for carrying name brand shoe and apparel lines like Timberland, Carhartt and Keen. Columbiana’s longest operating retail business will close its doors permanently at the end of August. (Photo by Stephanie Ujhelyi)

Back here, an attorney will liquidate the remaining inventory of value for Thompson, who had created a sidegig for years of doing it for other shoe repair shops when they go out of business.

Cobbler’s Corner’s last day will be Saturday, when it will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Cobbler’s Corner owner Terry Thompson poses with some of the machines used to craft and repair shoes behind the scenes. The longtime Columbiana store will close its doors permanently Saturday after 49 years. (Photo by Stephanie Ujhelyi)