For over a century, Manhattan locals have been getting their shoes repaired at Olson’s Shoe Service in Aggieville.
“We’ve been here for 100 years in Aggieville,” Ed Olson, who works at Olson’s Shoe Service, said.
Five generations of the Olson family have worked at the store.
Olson’s provides a number of services — such as resoling and adding toe caps to shoes. From replacements to cleaning and conditioning, the store also offers a variety of fixes to common shoe problems.
Olson’s shoe service also accepts mail-ins, meaning residents outside Manhattan also take advantage of their services.
“We get a lot of mail orders, a lot of people walk in of course,” Olson said. “I think a lot of people used to go to college here, brought their stuff here — and now they’ve moved and there’s no place, and we still do a lot of repairs for them.”
They have even accepted mail-ins from places as far as Alaska, Olson said.
A variety of over-the-counter orthotics are available in store. Orthotics, which are prescription medical devices worn inside the shoe, can aid in providing pain relief and help solve issues with walking or running. Olson’s can also customize the device to each customer’s needs. Alongside their services, they also feature a full line of Birkenstock footwear.
Olson, being a part of the family-owned shoe store, has been in the shoe service business a long time.
“[It’s been] 40 years now,” Olson said. “I mean it’s a job, it’s a dying trade. It’s busy non-stop, that’s probably what keeps me going.”
