High street heartbreak as 150-year-old family shoe shop to shut its doors for good

A SHOE shop that has served shoppers for 150 years is set to close for good, bringing an emotional end to five generations of family trading. Walters Shoes, on John Street in Porthcawl, will shut its doors “some time in September when the stock runs out”, according to owners Jane Hunt and Jo Richards. The pair, who are cousins, took over the business 22 years ago and have run it together ever since. Since announcing the closure on Facebook, they have been inundated with messages of support and sadness from loyal customers who cannot bear to see the shop disappear from the town’s high street. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! Jane said: “It’s been a tough week or two, Jo and I are the fifth generation in the family business, we were born into it, so it’s the end of an era, but I want to retire and Jo is moving on to a different job.” A closing down sale has seen shoppers flock to the store, with some items reduced by as much as 70%. Slippers have been slashed to just £10 a pair, while the rest of the stock, including footwear, clothing and accessories, has been cut by up to half price. Bargain hunters have been urged to get down to the shop quickly, with remaining stock now described as very limited. Updates on opening hours and what is left on the shelves have been posted regularly on the shop’s Facebook page as the countdown to closure continues. The shop’s roots stretch back to around 1875, when the pair’s great, great, great grandfather Richard Sampson arrived in Porthcawl from Cornwall to work as a shipbuilder’s apprentice before setting up a general store in the town. Most read in Money Over the decades the family opened shops across south Wales, including Bridgend, Neath, Swansea and Cardiff, with some trading as Clarks franchise stores. The current John Street shop was bought in the 1960s. Comment now