Tyrone-based Shoe Fly Stores will be honored June 15 at The Casino at Lakemont Park.

“It is a tremendous honor. … It is really exciting and a very big honor,” said Todd Lewis, president of Shoe Fly Shoe Inc., the parent company of Shoe Fly Stores, Appalachian Running Company and Shoe Fly Work Zone.

The hall of fame was created in 1990 to recognize Blair County businesses with at least 25 years of outstanding performance.

“Retail can be incredibly challenging, especially in a business environment that becomes more unsettled with each spin of the financial wheel. Businesses like Shoe Fly Stores have been successful by being well-grounded and willing to take risk. They have confidence in their products and make absolutely certain that their employees are well-prepared,” said chamber President/CEO Joe Hurd.

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski Shoe Fly associate Lisa Dey (right) maps the feet of Charlotte Igoe of Tyrone with a Albert 2 Pro 3D foot scanner to see if orthotics are needed.

Shoe Fly’s roots go back more than 100 years.

“Our roots go back to 1904 when Oscar Lasser opened a shoe repair shop in Hollidaysburg,” Lewis said. Oscar’s son, Bill, and then his son, Byron, ran the shoe business.

Jacob Levine moved to Altoona in 1911, he worked for the railroad and opened a men’s clothing store. After World War II, his son, Morris Levine, founded the Morris Levine Family Shoe Store in Tyrone.

Lewis purchased the business in 1988 from Levine.

In 1993, Lewis and partner Greg Wagner purchased the Shoe Fly store in State College. Since then, four more have joined the partnership including Charlie Biddle, George Gripp, Russ Buchmann and Mark Wagner.

Levine’s Shoe Fly was closed in Tyrone in 2003 and merged with Lasser’s Shoes of Hollidaysburg — owned by Byron Lasser — and relocated to the Pleasant Valley Shopping Center to form the Altoona Shoe Fly Store.

“We went from two local businesses to a regional business,” Lewis said.

Shoe Fly now has 20 stores in 14 communities in four states and has grown substantially.

“Since 2003 … we’ve seen an increase of business six times” Lewis said. “We started with one store, now we have 20. We went from four employees to 120.”

Shoe Fly’s roots are in the comfort and work shoe business, but athletic footwear has become a very important part. Today the largest part of the business is athletic shoes.

“The athletic business is more performance driven, we are able to provide more personalized fitting for athletic shoes. We’ve seen an opportunity to grow with better merchandise,” Lewis said.

Shoe Fly’s Altoona store employs four certified pedorthists.

“They are shoe professionals who have received medical training and maintained certification. We receive customers who have pain, some types of medical concerns and doctor referrals.

Having pedorthists is a much higher level of service, and Shoe Fly has them in most locations with 11 companywide,” Lewis said. “What separates us is personal service. We greet and serve all the folks that come in the door.”

Lewis said Shoe Fly can change people’s lives.

“People come here struggling to walk and in pain. They tell you we have helped them. They are more active and comfortable. We help improve runner’s performance,” Lewis said. “At the heart of everything we do is valuing and respecting each individual. We are a people-centered business.’

Michele Fiore of Duncansville is a satisfied customer.

‘He (pedorthist John Myers) helped me with track and tennis shoes. He helped me get the right shoes for my gait so I don’t have knee or back pain. They offer personalized service, patience and they are dedicated to getting you into the right shoes for you,” Fiore said.

Myers also fitted Fiore’s daughter, Nicole, for shoes to run in the Los Angeles marathon.

Shoe Fly is active in the community.

“We sponsor a number of sports teams. We sponsor an annual race to raise funds for local emergency services. It is not to benefit our business, it is more about benefiting the community,” Lewis said.

Shoe Fly is also active in the chamber supporting the BASICS and wellness committees.

Lewis is optimistic about the future.

“I think the future is incredible, we are continuing to grow as a company and looking at communities that are underserved. We plan to continue to grow, more locations and to expand those we have in other communities,” he said.

Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 814-946-7467.