Shoe shopkeep says ‘so long’ to Junction
[attach]1235[/attach]Thinking of buying a condo in the hip Junction neighbourhood in 2010?
You might want to thank Victor Latchman for turning you on to the place. He bought into the neighbourhood in 1966 and his shop has been bringing people into the area ever since.
Latchman is just winding up his 43-year tenure as owner-operator of Taylor’s Shoes near the corner of Dundas Street West and Keele Street.
The original owner opened the shop in 1920, but it was Latchman who really put the place on the map (literally — there’s a framed map of Toronto that used to hang in the shop dotted with drawings of the city’s landmarks; a look to the left side shows a cartoon version of Taylor’s, the only Junction shop depicted).
Latchman attributes his long-running success to that axiom of business: find your niche. Latchman’s niche in the shoe business was that he was a fitter, specializing in shoes of all lengths and widths, from size two for women, to size 20 for men and from narrow to duck-feet-wide.
Many friends and neighbours stopped by during Latchman’s last week in business including Brian Muirhead, a long-time supplier to the shop.
“He’s made a very good living looking after people with narrow feet, wide feet, long feet, short feet,” he said.
Muirhead said he believes only about 30 percent of the population is really an average-width foot, and that more people should be fitted properly.
Latchman himself wears and eight-and-a-half at an average width, while Muirhead takes his shoes a little wider.
But the shoes Latchman sold weren’t just about function.
“I liked fashion,” said Latchman, who said that keeping up with the trends over the years was part of the job.
“I used to go to trade shows and read a lot of magazines,” he said.
That combination of hard-to-find function and fashion was what brought regular customers from all across the city and from as far away as Buffalo and Syracuse, New York to the Junction neighbourhood.
“It was a real destination store,” said Muirhead.
While the area has seen tough times over the years, Latchman said his shop helped to boost the local economy.
“I did bring a lot of business into the area over the years,” Latchman admitted with a hint of well-earned pride.
Latchman’s contribution to the Junction didn’t end at Taylor’s Shoes. He also started the Junction Business Improvement Area 25 years ago.
The association had humble beginnings with meetings right in Latchman’s shoe store. As the association grew, like the Bloor West Village BIA, it became a successful model to be copied over and over again across the city.
Since its inception, Latchman served as president of the BIA twice, having just retired from the association two years ago. In addition to his collection of plaques awarded to him by elected officials, he has one, in recognition of his efforts to improve the Junction, from the very BIA he started over two-and-a-half decades ago.
Latchman said that over the years he’s watched the neighbourhood change from a pretty down area to something hip and thriving.
“A lot of younger people are moving into the area now,” he said.
Community Living Toronto has purchased the building from Latchman and they plan to use it as a centre to care for children and adults with special needs.
Although the shop is gone, the man behind the shop is just getting started.
Latchman said that he’s looking forward to travelling more and spending time with his three grandchildren, but that he’s got more than the usual retirement plans lined up.
“I’m going to take some courses at a university,” he said. “I don’t know anything about the computer, so I’m going to take some courses on that.”