Deegan's Shoes, storehouse of memories.The rocking horse inside Deegan's Shoe Store has been as much a fixture in downtown North Bay as owner Ralph Diegel. Many generations of kids have expended restless energy on the antique wooden animal while their parents have been fitted for shoes. Carved by the legendary Gustav Dentzel about a century ago, the store's founder John Deegan bought it for $400 from 'Patty' Conklin, the famed carnival barker who had taken it off a Coney Island Coney Island (kō`nē), beach resort, amusement center, and neighborhood of S Brooklyn borough of New York City, SE N.Y., on the Atlantic Ocean. carousel. Diegel's cozy Main Street shop is filled with a lifetime of memories in pictures, newspaper clippings and antique shoes. Because of the similarity in last names, some customers mistakingly call Diegel, Mr. Deegan, but that's okay He stocks casual and orthopedic shoes orthopedic shoes A term coined by the shoe industry, not by the orthopedic community at large; OSs may harm a normal child's foot as they are too stiff. See Orthosis. , the odd work boot and Don Jackson figure skates. Daughter Susan is a local figure skating figure skating Sport in which ice skaters, singly or in pairs, perform various jumps, spins, and footwork. The figure skate blade has a special serrated toe pick, or toe rake, at the front. coach and works mornings in the store. Ralph says hell eventually hand the keys over to her if she wants it. But he realizes it's tough to compete against Big Box stores in today's retail environment. "There's an awful lot of self-serve in today's market. People that need help come to a store like ours." The store was founded in 1889 by John Deegan, an Irish cobbler who emigrated to Canada and served as a scout to Colonel Sam Steele Major General Sir Samuel Benfield Steele, CB, KCMG, MVO (5 January 1849 – 30 January 1919) was a distinguished soldier and famous member of the North West Mounted Police. who helped hunt down Louis Riel For the opera, see . Louis Riel (October 22, 1844 – November 16, 1885) was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and leader of the Métis people of the Canadian prairies. during the 1885 Northwest Rebellion. "I knew him coming here in my teens to buy my sister some Sisman Scampers," the 1930's version of the Nike runner, which sold for $3 a pair. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ralph was hired by Deegan's son George in 1946 after being discharged from the Canadian navy. "and I've been here ever since." His married Deegan's niece in 1948, the late Gwen Darling and has two children, John and Susan. Today, he's with his second wife, Pat, who runs an antique store next door. Like Ralph, 82, his clientele is aging. But it's a loyal one. Family-owned shoe stores are going the way of home-delivered milk because of the pull of Big Box retailers on the highway Nevertheless, Ralph still shows up for work every day at 9 a.m. He shakes his head at the disappearance of Canadian shoe manufacturers in favour of imports shipped from Asia. "Manufacturers in this country are slowly becoming a thing of the past." Downtown North Bay no longer has the vitality of the hey-days of the 1960s and 70s, but Ralph has no inclination to pull stakes and relocate in a mall. "After so many years here, I'm satisfied." By IAN ROSS Ian Ross is the name of:
Northern Ontario Business Northern Ontario Business is a Canadian magazine, which publishes monthly in Greater Sudbury, Ontario. The magazine covers business news and issues in Northern Ontario. RELATED ARTICLE: QUICK QUESTIONS What have you learned the most? Keep your cool. Sometimes that's not easy. What's the best advice you were given? Don't sweat it. Don't let it get you down because if you do you end up going to the doctor and you'll be in the drugstore buying pills. What's the best advice you have to give? If you can't make a customer, make a friend. What's the secret to success and longevity? There has to be a certain amount of good luck, good health, good housekeeping Good Housekeeping is a women's magazine owned by the Hearst Corporation, featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, health as well as literary articles. habits and good home life. I love music, I attend church and work hard in service clubs like the Royal Canadian Legion The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian ex-service organization (veterans organization) founded in 1925, with more than 400,000 members worldwide. Membership includes people who have served as current and former military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and and I try to be a good business neighbour. |
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