Closing Date Set for Public Shoe Store in Clarendon, To Be Replaced By 7-Eleven

Public Shoe Store in Clarendon, which first opened its doors in 1938, will close after Saturday, Feb. 27 to make way for a new 7-Eleven store, according to the daughter of store owner S.H. “Doc” Friedman.

“We’ll have an open house from noon to 6 that afternoon to say goodbye to our friends and customers and to give them a chance to say ‘happy retirement’ to Doc,” Karen Friedman Widmayer tells ARLnow.com.

The store was originally slated to close last summer, but lease negotiations and planning stretched longer than expected. After Public Shoe Store closes, a new 7-Eleven store will move in following some interior construction and exterior changes. Friedman, 82, is retiring from the shoe business but is leasing the space at 3137 Wilson Blvd to the convenience store.

Widmayer described the lease as “long term,” but declined to provide other details. She said the space would have been challenging for a restaurant and 7-Eleven was “very accommodating” and “terrific to work with.” The store is planning a “fitting” art deco-style sign, she said.

Public Shoe Store reopened over the weekend after closing due to the blizzard. The store is still “stocked with comfort and orthopedic shoes and sandals plus lots of good sale shoes,” Widmayer noted. Customers and well-wishers are both welcome to stop by between now and the 27th, she said.