Fourth-generation Albany business Shoe Box celebrates 65 years

ALBANY – At the Shoe Box, the Mulford family sells two kinds of shoes: those that have steel toes, and those that don’t. Beyond that, though, there is a lot of variety, from athletic shoes to cowboy boots, casual to dress shoes, to boots used at the high-end hunting plantations that dot the region.

And, through the Shoe Box Onsite, the Mulfords distribute their wares at work sites in three states.

This month the Shoe box had a rare anniversary for a mom and pop business these days, celebrating 65 years.

That represents four generations of family at the business founded by Buddy and Terese Cohen that have worked to make the enterprise a success.

“Connections is how we’ve grown and how we want to grow … family relationships, business relationships,” Jason Mulford, who drives the Shoe Box’s Onsite truck to various work sites, said. “That’s how we’re all here today.

“I don’t think today there’s another business in Albany that’s been here this long that’s the same family chain. This is one that’s the same family the whole way through. We’re still here, we’re still strong and we have a lot of years left,”

Jason Mulford’s parents, Bob and Debbie Mulford, are the second generation to work in the business, and Jason’s oldest daughter, Anna Johnson, manages the Americus-based Southfitters store. In addition, Bob and Debbie’s son Michael also was involved for years although he has since moved to Ohio.

Debbie Mulford’s parents started the Shoe Box and Shoe World, which was sold some years ago, and her family’s history in Albany dates back to the 1880s. The family’s business history includes insurance, real estate and they even operated a movie theater.

Bob Mulford’s father was also in business, primarily at Albany Hardware.

The Shoe Box’s first location was at 234 W. Broad Ave., and it also was located at two other buildings on the same block. Downtown Albany was the center of business in 1960, with a number of department stores in the area, both locally owned and chain stores.

In the 1980s the Mulfords moved to midtown Albany at Brooks Plaza, and in 1988 they set up shop at the current 2528 Dawson Road location.

For several Christmas seasons, the family operated a Southfitters establishment at the Albany Mall.

“The store is an independent family business that operated for 65 years and is still going strong, through ingenuity, dedication and just hard work” Jason Mulford said.

Through that time, the family has endured tough times with the community, including economic downturns, including the Great Recession of 2008, and weather events that devastated the community. Those included the Great Flood of 2004, the 2008 flood, tornadoes and, most recently, Hurricane Michael and the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the wake of a 2017 storm that brought straight-line winds that devastated neighborhoods throughout Albany, the Mulfords had T-shirts produced to help those who had been affected. Friends helped the family design and print them.

“I said, ‘Let’s make some T-shirts and donate the proceeds,’” Jason Mulford said. “Before we could literally sit down, the first 200 were gone. By the time we stopped, it was over 1,600 and raised more than $25,000.”

The slogan “Albany Strong” that appeared on the shirts was retained as the theme by officials for the COVID pandemic when Albany and the region became one of the worst-hit areas in the world.

“I think in my career that was one of the most fun, challenging things I’ve done,” Mulford said.

During the pandemic, the business moved outside with employees and customers wearing masks and using plenty of hand sanitizer. At that time, the mall store, which had been opened on a more permanent basis, was closed.

“You could do curbside business,” Mulford said. “We took every table we had and we put them all across the front. We had everything we had, and we put them all on tables. People would tell us what they needed and we would fit them on the sidewalk. We were literally doing curbside fitting on the sidewalk. It taught us to evolve.”

COVID also led to the business increasing its online presence.

“It taught us to evolve what we do,” Mulford said. “It pushed us to change.”

For the family, the pandemic provided more family time and togetherness.

“We were able to be with family and do the best we could do,” Debbie Mulfordsaid. “We kept all of our people (employees). We didn’t let anybody go. They weren’t here, but we kept them.”

Today, including the Mulfords, the business employs about 20 in Albany and Americus.

As the driver for Shoe Box Onsite, Jason Mulford has racked up half a million miles of driving, setting up shop at work sites to sell safety shoes to workers in mainly rural areas.

“A lot of places where these large (industries) are, like paper mills, don’t have a place close by,” Bob Mulford said. “They’re rural.”

Over the years, Jason Mulford has created relationships with those workers in Alabama, Florida and Georgia, getting to know their family histories.

That kind of relationship was evident when on one occasion he was sick and his parents took the truck out without him to the Cedar Springs containerboard plant that recently was closed by Georgia-Pacific. Some of the workers asked about Jason, but there were no buyers. Most simply just walked by.

“We didn’t sell a single pair of shoes,” Debbie Mulford said.

The Mulfords said that even when not at the store or on the road, they are constantly thinking about improving their business, to the point it seeps into every part of their lives.

“(It’s) 100% dedication – eat, sleep, breathe this place,” Bob Mulford said. “Customer service has been our focus the whole time. That hasn’t changed.”