Burton’s For Shoes, a longtime fixture on Second Avenue in downtown Saskatoon, has closed for good after 87 years in business, with its operations folding into fellow local shoe retailer Bricker’s Shoes.
The store’s closure was announced by the Cote family, who have run Burton’s since 2003. Rather than disappearing entirely, Burton’s inventory, brand relationships and staff knowledge will be absorbed into Bricker’s Shoes, which the Cote family has owned since 1975. “Burton’s For Shoes is going to be closed. However, it will be Bricker’s Shoes, just expanded,” said Ariel Laroque, the store’s social media manager, adding that the family hopes to carry the legacy of Burton’s forward within the combined operation.
A downtown landmark since the 1940s
Burton’s traces its roots to the 1940s, when founder Bert Gladstone opened the store beside the Capitol Theatre. When that building was demolished, Gladstone relocated the shop to Second Avenue, where it remained a downtown fixture for decades. According to local historian Terry Hoknes, Gladstone was an active figure in Saskatoon’s business community, credited with pushing for the angle parking still found downtown today.
Bricker’s Shoes, meanwhile, dates to the 1930s under founder Ernie Bricker, before Raymond Cote purchased it in 1975. The business has stayed in the Cote family ever since. Laroque said Gladstone had once approached her grandfather about merging the two stores under a combined “B&B” banner, an idea that didn’t take hold at the time. Decades later, she said, that long-ago proposal has essentially come full circle with the two businesses becoming one.
Rising costs and changing shopping habits
Laroque pointed to the mounting difficulty of maintaining two separate downtown locations as costs climbed. “Over the years, it has just become increasingly challenging to maintain two buildings downtown just with costs rising,” she said, citing the pandemic and the shift to online shopping as key pressures on the business.
Hoknes, who shared memories of buying his first pair of shoes at Burton’s roughly 55 years ago, said the closure reflects a broader pattern of long-running downtown Saskatoon businesses fading away over time. “It’s sad for those who shopped here for decades,” he said, noting that many of the city’s old-guard downtown retailers have disappeared over the years.
Customers share decades of memories
News of the closure prompted an outpouring of recollections from customers on social media, with many recalling buying their first pair of shoes at Burton’s, and later bringing their own children and grandchildren through its doors. Laroque said the response has been heartening, even amid the sadness of the closure, and she urged residents to continue supporting local, independent businesses. “It is one of those things that can’t stay up and running if we don’t have the support of everyone in the city,” she said.
While Burton’s For Shoes as a name and standalone storefront is gone, the Cote family said customers will still be able to find familiar brands and service at the expanded Bricker’s Shoes location, which continues the family’s retail presence in downtown Saskatoon.
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