1 of 8
Photo by Chris Militzer
Comfort One reception April 18 in Old Town
2 of 8
3 of 8
4 of 8
5 of 8
6 of 8
Comfort One reception
7 of 8
Comfort One reception
8 of 8
Comfort One reception
Comfort One Shoes celebrated its grand opening Wednesday night of its new store at 200 King St., right across the street from its first store at 201 King St., which opened 25 years ago.
Guests, including Alexandria Mayor Allison Silberberg, mingled with Maurice Breton, company founder and CEO, and Garrett Breton, vice president, Marketing and Merchandising, while enjoying bites and bubbly from Society Fair. Maurice and Garrett Breton two are father and son.
A replica of the ruby slippers actress Judy Garland wore in the film "The Wizard of Oz" were unveiled at the reception. The Smithsonian's American History Museum is restoring the original pair. The store secured the replica slippers with a donation aiding the restoration of the original ruby slippers.
Breton purchased the building, which dates to 1800, in 2016, after longtime retailer the Why Not? shop closed at the location after more than 50 years. Breton did not disclose the sale price but the City assessed the value of the building and land in 2016 at $2,420,692.
The Comfort One store at 201 King St. has been at the same location since 1993. The company serves the DC metro area with stores in Virginia, DC and Maryland offering more than 60 brands of shoes.
The company's awards include:
- Voted #1 Sit & Fit Retailer, 2015 Plus Awards
- Top 10 Independent Retailer, 2013, 2014, 2015, Footwear News
- Gold Medal Service Award, 2015 Footwear Insight
- 2011 NSRA Retailer of the Year