Kinney Shoes - Life in America 

until the quality went way down at the beginning of the 80s, with cheaply made imported and uncomfortable leather. Started downhill in the Reagan Era. America wasn't all good then, and it's not all bad now. But the middle class has been destroyed to a large degree by tax policy and corporate greed.

Everything they make now is total shit.

shut yall old asses up

@@maplemanz don’t start thinking that malls don’t have good stores nowadays bruh

I didn't know either, I remember seeing Kinney Shoes in all the malls growing up. Tom McCann was another one. I think stores like Payless filled the Kinney Shoes void.

I didn't know either. However, I will admit in the beginning of this video when I saw the black and white photo of a G.R.Kinny and company Incorporated, I noticed that the lettering that Woolworths uses which is gold metallic 3D letters is what I noticed and I said to myself, that looks like the lettering that Woolworths uses. Thank you for bringing that to my attention about being connected to each other

I have bought only a few shoes from Foot Locker over the years.

I knew, because I worked for the company for 14 years... I sent my resume to Kinney Service Corp, and got a call from Woolworth, and was confused, LOL! Kinney was just one of a dozen 'divisions' that were all run mostly separately, with their own hierarchy and sharing some services, and Woolworth Corp was mainly a holding company (of which the Woolworth stores were just another division). Woolworth Corporation grew mostly through acquisition, not organically from within, and integration was barely adequate, in my opinion leaving way too much upper management in the corporate hierarchy. And internal practices were shortsighted and sometimes downright stupid. A lot of these problems came to light when they tried to purchase The Sports Authority from KMart. Anyway, they closed under-performing chains, sold a few that were doing well (AfterThoughts, for example) and after a wasteful corporate name change, eventually renamed again to Foot Locker Inc.

@@candysmith8724 The market for 'brown shoes' changed and Kinney couldn't keep up -- the bottom end got taken over by Walmart (even Payless has had problems), and Kinney didn't have the reputation to move to the high end, so they were left without a market when the middle dried up. They even tried a Payless-style chain called FootQuarters, but that (and an early 2000's reboot) didn't fare well.

I forgot that patent shoes existed.

I loved my white patent leather shoes. Do you remember the reddish scuff marks?

@@lottamiles5510 oh yes I do lol

I got my first pair of white bucks for the marching band in Jr. High

Memories...simple times.

You know it!!!

Yes. The good old days when families spent time together and good customer service.

Yeah! Good old time when things were made for years. Yesterday i bought used Kinney Colorado hiking boots for 12$. Ooh they are awesome. Extra quality!

We were easily entertained in those days weren’t we?

All these RR videos are gems, causing us oldies to recall times long gone. This one rang true in so many ways. Here's an offshoot; in the Midwest when school ended for the year young boys would: --get their (hated) buzz-type haircuts and spend 90% of the summer outside. NOT inside. Doing anything/everything outside. --get their "tennis shoes" AKA Red Ball Jets or such. Often totally trashed by Labor Day due to insane activities like climbing trees, taking them into the pool, you name it. So surprised we didn't trash ourselves much less the RBJs. Mom washed them, painted Merthiolate or iodine on our wounds, & sent our young asses back out to do even more stupid stunts. America in the early 60s was a time when we knew who we were, and made it thru somehow anyway. Thanks SO much for these. Keep em coming!!

Easter shoes. Those are days gone by. I can remember everyone wearing suits and dresses to church . My mother would make a big fuss over our Easter outfits, then the moment we got home from church we were to take them off and hang them.

Carol Hodges: Are you a former MTS Lady??? I recognize the name from work, but you may not be that same lady I knew back then. So, if you aren't the same person, then I do apologize for bothering you. And, if you are the same gal, you may be interested the shoe store I'm going to tell you about. But first, a couple thoughts about me so you know that this is not a fool hearty incident. I am retired 25 years from MTS and enjoying life. Anyway, if you'd like that same shopping experience again, go to Mast Shoes in A2, West side of town, down by Jackson Rd. area. They used to be located on Main St. downtown, and a store on Liberty in the campus area. Sorry, can't think of the name of the strip Mall, but if you take Washtenaw, the name changes to Stadium @ the Big House, keep in the left hand lane and slow down when you get to Zingerman's, turn left, and the Mall is right there. I was @ Mast 2/3 months ago and bought 3 pair new shoes. You get the old fashioned treatment of complete foot measuring, the whole nine yards, with very nice sales people. The store sells only the highest quality shoes, and has trained all their sales staff, so the price you pay for the old time experience is costly, but well worth it. I've shopped Mast about 40+ years. You won't be sorry. I've never been sorry at all. Anyway, leave me a note on this shoe cite that you're going & maybe if you like I could meet you there, and have lunch after shopping. I don't want to give out my email these days...I'm sure you'll understand that.

Did they have the X-ray machine that helped to measure your feet? That was always cool to see your feet inside the shoes.

I get those scent memories,those were good times ! I remember when you would sit down and the magic would unfold !

I got knocked out & lost my smell in '99. I sometimes get "Ghost smells", I smell Hawaiian flowers or brake fluid and there is neither around.

@@tomfrazier1103 Oh no! How did you adjust? 🤗🤗

@@shibolinemress8913 l just don't smell stuff. That loss is one of the least of my worries, my whole life changed, not allowed to drive, make my own decisions etc. That was twenty years ago, so now have a. Modus vivendi.

@@tomfrazier1103 🤗🤗🤗🤗

Brannock Device for shoes

@@sherril.562 LOL. I know the feeling.

They rebranded as Footlocker which was to appeal to the urban buyer that is not really a market to focus on.

@@bighands69 Foot Locker had already existed for over 20 years when Kinney was shut down, along with Lady Foot Locker and Kids Foot Locker. Sales at Foot Locker were so good, they hid a lot of the internal problems both in the other divisions and in the overall corporate structure -- Kinney was just one of a dozen 'divisions' that were all run mostly separately, with their own hierarchy and sharing some services, and Woolworth Corp was mainly a holding company (of which the Woolworth stores were just another division). Fun Fact: the guy in charge of shutting down Woolworth stores was also in charge of shutting down Kinney; he was then put in charge of Champs Sports and almost ran it into the ground before getting canned. Woolworth Corporation grew mostly through acquisition, not organically from within, and integration was barely adequate, in my opinion leaving way too much upper management in the corporate hierarchy. And internal practices were shortsighted and sometimes downright stupid. A lot of these problems came to light when they tried to purchase The Sports Authority from KMart. Anyway, they closed under-performing chains, sold a few that were doing well (AfterThoughts, for example) and after a wasteful corporate name change, eventually renamed again to Foot Locker Inc.

Wow Buster Brown shoes! I remember wearing them to school. Those shoes would never die, I just simply outgrew them.

@@Ire308 I had buster browns. My first pair for first grade bought at Bambergers in Nanuet NY in 1971. When I began elementary school it was forbidden to wear sneakers. By the time I was in 5th grade everybody wore Keds or Converse.

I was the oldest of 10 kids and my mom stayed home too. What memories. Kinney had so many cute shoes for teens.

Now no fault divorce makes it hard for women to stay home with kids. What if I get divorced is in the back of their minds.

Wow. I remember all that. You must be from minneapolis as iam. I always shopped at Dayton's or Donaldson's...went to Ramsey and Washburn high.

I Remember Ken Berry doing the TV commercials back in the 1970's

It's KINN-EY, not Kenny.

I loved Wild Pair. I spent a lot of money in there. lol If I remember correctly, they also sold belts and purses? Correct me if I'm wrong.

Footlocker is one of the major players in that brand name premium.

School bells ring and children sing it's back Robert Hall again.

Same here! 👍🌻🌻

Those ware the good old days.

In my hood there was a Kinney Shoes and Robert Hall right next to each other.

Layaway. I totally remember that. Wow. Wow...

Meee Toooo!! I sometimes tend to get it mixed up when trying to refer to Payless shoes!.....😄 Kinney's etched on the brain!

Yes!!!! Not pressured, you could take your time. We also shopped at Thom McCann for dressy shoes. Most salespeople, actually tried to make sure you found what you were looking for and also, in the right size! 👠👠👟👟 👡👡👢👢🥿🥿👞👞😄

@@LA_HA Wow....I never an knew they had layaway!

@@angeladay1534 Layaway was huge back in the day, according to my older siblings and parents. I was too young to know that's what they were doing. But, yeah, clothes and shoes were put on layaway and a couple weeks before school started, it was time to make the last payment and pick up our school wardrobe. Every season had the season or two before with stuff on layaway. September, Christmas, and Easter, especially. haha.

Reminds me of summer bike rides ending and school starting. :P New shoes and new school supplies. Very mixed emotions that smell triggers for sure!

I didn't like the smell of the Payless Shoe store though.It smelled like glue.

@@glennso47 that’s because they were (are) plastic , not leather.

Funny how you commented on that. While watching the video I was thinking about how the shoe store smelled.

...me too...but I heated the shoes my mom bought me as she always bought them two sizes larger, as I would likely “grow” into them before I wore them out.

When I was 13, I was allowed to pick out a pair of "Debbie Heels"! I was sooo grown up I thought!

Yeppers! My first black suede, open heeled sling back, low platforms actually came from Thom McAn. We went to Kinney's, too, I don't think they had my size. These were for my great aunt's funeral, in 1973.

Its called service. Which has just about vanished from public practice.

@@luissantiago8446 We must be about the same age if you remember that. Lol

Most shoe stores did in the 60s when I was growing up

@@brianchisnell1548 This is true.

@@LasVegas68 born in 60

CH: Good for you!!! It's a possibility I saw you. One never knows. And, to think I am writing to a TV celebrity this very minute...Will wonders never cease. lol!!! lol!!! Thank you.

Cool! 🏆🎥🎬

I read that on Wikipedia, and found it to be true, at least in Boise, Idaho. There were Shakey's near each of the 2 Kinney Shoes stores, here.

Maria Marinucci: It's just so very sad these old haunts are gone from present times. I think the younger generation would have learned so much from the way we used to do things, and conduct our life style. But, life does live on going forward for the new generation to make their own, "Does Anyone Remember" pages in history. This must be the cycle of life we talk about...Just as we are doing on this site this very minute. Posted Thursday July 15, 2021. Enjoy your summer, dear heart.

So, very sorry about your loss. Thanks for sharing your precious and special memories with this channel. God Bless you and your family. 😢📖🙏🏽💖

Probably the only astronomer turned artist.

😆💯📏

I wasn't aware that Americans no longer sell shoes in America. When did this happened? Who are selling them shoes now?

My mom and grandma had size 10 AA feet. They were both very petite and under 5ft tall. Thanks for the right shoe width! 😄

Back in the 50’s they x radiation your foot in shoe to size it .I worked at one of the biggest stores in sales.it was on 3rd and north In Milwaukee .good old days!

I recall Baden Pa. north of Pittsburgh Pa. Had a JC Penney store in the shopping center also.

My blue canvas keds cost $15 back in 1975. All my friends wore the same sneaker. We had to write our names on the bottom so not to get them confused when we changed for gym.

You can still go to marshalls or tj maxx or Bealls or kohl’s and get decently priced shoes.

Oh, you bring back memories with Thom McAnn shoes. They were everywhere, and just seemed to disappear. I remember Nobil Shoes, too.

Tom McCann was the other big shoe store.

@Randall Johnson There was the Brown Shoe company, Buster Brown (which I should have remembered) and the St' Louis Browns baseball team. Huh... wonder if there is a common bond to all of this? Oh and... things aren't quite as convoluted today as they are controversial. I think your reply here clears both hurdles quite nicely. :)

@@ohiohiker4301 Nobil had the Beatle boots and the lace up ankle style that was hugely popular.

@@bobwallace9814 WHAT! I'm 71 years old and I missed the Beatle boots. How on earth did that happen? I guess it's a little too late to worry about it now.

Thank you. I was not familiar with the ads...just found a plethora on YT. Berry was apparently the face of Kinney for years.

@@williambowers9555 I really enjoyed his dancing and commercials.... he was fantastic

My brother's would get Flagg Bros magazines! 👢👢 ✊🏽

@Nunya Business good answer!

On Blossom Hill Road?

We still have one of the buildings in my town. It was a car quest auto parts store for quite a while now it has been an Aaron's rent to own for many years.

One of the old Kinney Shoe stores in my city is now a Guitar Center.

In the town i live in they are a regional appliance store in spokane washington!

My parents use to buy my shoes at Kenny's shoe store ...To bad th hey went under...🙁

LOL

😁

Too cute! 🎈🎈🎈🎈😆

😂😆🤣😂🤣

Exactly!🤣😂🤣😂😆

My mom did the same thing to me and my sisters!

So that explains why in addition to shoes, we bought several pairs of socks and pantyhose every time we bought shoes.

Yep..... That’s a lot for 16 years old.

At $1.10 an hour that was pretty good

@@Kenna198 Well.... My first minimum wage job was 3.15 an hour and living in Washington DC that, I and others couldn’t buy anything in fine stores but Woolworth’s. Yeah it stinks!

@@rbsmith3365 yes I remember working for minimum wage & felt so poor but we all have to start somewhere, now I’m retired, older but still enjoying life.

So sad!!!!

I do not think that was the real reason they were closed down. Lots of people including the elderly still wear shoes. I still wear them and so do my children. They were replaced by footlocker which was a trendy move by corporations at the time. Trying to focus on the urban market which is not really that big a market.

@@bighands69 no. 95% of our business were corporate employees. They were repeat business. Retirees were close to zero. Im talking leather heel shoes.

Along with society in general. What a repulsive spectacle men and women are these days.

@James SS I shop for shoes at vintage resale shops. I've actually purchased shoes from Italy and Spain in great condition, that are all leather. Top and soles. Finding a shoe repair may prove difficult for some. I live in New York, and one can shop around to find someone who can replace soles cheaper. I've been lucky.

You were lucky, my mom bought me saddle shoes, hated them, too!

@@paperthyme I had those too!! Coffee and Cream. Hated them! 😂😂😂

My feet measured at slightly different sizes, at Kinney’s they would actually sell 2 shoes of different sizes! Can you imagine any store doing that now?

"Low Overhead!"

Do you mean Robert Hall Village? A wonderful department store, I remembered in Portsmouth, VA until it bankrupt about ‘77 or ‘78.

Robert Hall was not next to Kinney's in my town.

Arlan's was a great place. My elementary school age friends and I went there often. I bought Beatle boots with the heavy metal heel taps installed from them.

Arlan’s a grocery store in 70’s Pennsylvania. But a department store?!?

@@rbsmith3365 60's Detroit. It was a huge dept store that had the smell of popcorn from their machines, guitars, records by the thousands, sporting goods, toy section with slot cars, 60's music on the PA really loud. About the size of a K Mart, a kid could get lost in there for hours.

@@rbsmith3365 Yes. Discount department store. Had one in Fall River and also in New Bedford, Ma.