Shoes -- glorious shoes are what customers can find at W.J. Boyle and Son Ltd.

the all-family shoe store.

Established in St. George's in 1884 by William James Boyle, this shoe store became everyone's outlet for purchasing every type of shoe.

In 1935, the store then branched out, and a shop was opened in Hamilton. Today there are five branches of W.J. Boyle and Son shoe stores which are under the watchful eye of W.J.'s grandson, Mr. William A. G. Boyle.

Boyle's has not yet put an end to creating new stores to market their great selection of shoes.

The latest "Trends'' shoe store located on Reid Street has been the most recent Boyle's project.

"Trends, which is neither feminine nor masculine, is our sixth store that we have opened,'' Mr. Boyle said.

"We thought there was a market for a more upscale shoe store which was more personal, carrying a better grade of quality footwear.'' Mr. Boyle added that there was a need for an atmosphere that catered to the sophisticated business person looking for shoes.

Sports Locker, the new athletic shoe store, has, as Mr. Boyle expected, been doing extremely well.

The main Boyle's store on Queen Street has been remodelled but still remains as the family shoe store.

The family business has extended in the past few years to include Mr. Cooper's sons Graham and his wife Heidi and Courtland.

Mr. Boyle's wife Ann contributes to the company by lending a hand whenever needed.

Along with the family, there are also several staff members, some of whom have been at Boyle's for more than 20 years.

Mr. Boyle said that through the years the idea was to retain the strong family environment and customers' loyalty to Boyle's shoes.

"Today, with a new generation of shoppers, the loyalty to different labels of Boyle's shoes is not there.

"When customers come of age they sometimes feel they have outgrown a certain label so they'll change. In the olden days children had no choice in whether they wanted or didn't want a certain label of shoes,'' Mr. Boyle said.

He added that Boyle's is a unique shoe store because they still have full fitting service.

Mr. Boyle said the heart of the business is catering to family service. "Our nitch in the business is branded footwear,'' he said. "You'll see brands of shoes in magazines that we carry in our stores. We carry the best.'' On looking back at his family's involvement in the company, Mr. Boyle said: "Retailing is a difficult business to come into. I am glad that my children were interested.'' A FAMILY TRADITION -- William Boyle (centre) stands with son Courtland, (left), daughter-in-law Heidi, nine-and-a-half-month-old grandson Sawyer, and son Graham inside the store on Queen Street.