NEDERLAND — It is 1922. George Warren Perry opens on the corner of Broadway and Walnut Street in Boulder and operates his shoe repair business for 37 years before his son, George Warren, follows in his footsteps. 

Though George Perry III doesn’t have any memories of his grandfather, the history has been carried down in stories and in photographs and in the walls of the many places Perry’s Shoes has graced.

The shop has existed in locations all over Boulder for over 90 years, including at 1227 Pearl Street, where a great big “Perry’s” sign welcomed customers into the iconic store from 1943 to 1951. 

George Perry III grew up in the store and in the family business while it thrived through the 60s and 70s. Like his father before him, he would work with shoe leather and polish from a young age, though by his teenage years, George wanted to embrace another way of life.

“I worked for my dad for a while when I was in junior high and high school, and then I decided that I didn’t want to do that anymore,” George said.

“I started working at a couple of restaurants around town, and after high school I moved to Jackson Hole for a ski season, and my dad was losing his main guy and wanted me to come for him and it was a very tough decision. I wanted to stay in Jackson and play.”   

He grudgingly returned to work as his father’s right hand man in 1976. In 1978 he met his future wife, Becky, with whom he would have three children.  

Though he had never pictured it for himself, George would take over his legendary family store and continue the Boulder legacy into a new era, building off that which made him most excited about the business.

“I gained a lot of knowledge from a lot of different shoe repair guys who worked for my dad,” George said about his training, leading up to the glory days when the store would often receive interesting custom requests. 

“We used to do dye work, and once this one particular rodeo queen came in with nine pairs of boots to have dyed different colors to match her outfits.”    

By 1986, the youngest of George and Becky’s children, Emily Perry, was born. She has memories of the store starting from when she was as young as six years old, recalling particularly the senses of her environment—the smell of shoe polish, the feel of materials in her hands. 

“It was such a part of our lives,” Emily remembers. “After school, we would have to come to the shop and there was always something to do. You could make five bucks for candy somehow, whether it was cleaning or polishing shoes....

“Shoe repair has that distinct smell, which is in some ways a very comforting smell for me. And my parents would let me play around with all the scraps of leather to learn how to sew; they were teaching me at such a young age how all the equipment works—it truly is a family business.”

Perry’s Shoes operated for 21 years at 949 Walnut Street before Tebo Properties bought the building in 2008, causing rents to increase and Perry’s to move to 1711 15th Street. 

Though the address changed many times over the years, the main values of the shop remained the same, and a true skill that has literally been passed on through generations continued to grow, evolve, and produce quality, customer-pleasing work.

And even though the walls of the shop George grew up in were different from the walls of the shop that Emily grew up in, the memories held within them were essentially the same, the knowledge and experience that circulated in the air amid the strong smell of polish was the same, regardless of the address. 

Most of all, what the Perry family reveres most when thinking back on those times were all the employees that the shop had over the years, with some of whom they worked alongside for decades.

“It was a second home, and all of our employees, they’ve always been like family,” Emily said, checking with her father about how long their staff members had worked there, including Kevin and Roger, who each worked with the Perry’s for over 30 years.  

In 2017, Perry’s moved not only to their new shop location, but to their new home, when they bought the split residential/commercial property at 114 East 2nd Street in Nederland and renovated the downstairs retail space that used to be Mountain Rose Hair Salon into the new Perry’s Shoe Shop.   

“I’m really glad we made the move up here,” George said. 

“We’ve always embraced change,” Emily added, “When we were at our last location our rent almost went up 200%, and when that happened of course it was devastating, but we were pretty optimistic about what was next.” 

Emily continued, explaining how the family’s optimism, which Emily credited mostly to her mother, helped carry her parents to their new home and location in Nederland. 

“We went through so much change over the years that we remain hopeful in the belief that change is a good thing.”  

The arrival of Boulder’s second-oldest business in Nederland was celebrated enthusiastically by the community, with The Mountain-Ear journalist Barbara Lawlor giving her 2017 article the playfully prodding headline “Perry’s: Boulder’s loss, Nederland’s gain.” 

“Perry’s have their new lines of hiking boots and snow boots on display, ready for Nederland customers,” Lawlor wrote. “They are introducing Oboz, an insulated, waterproof, affordable hiking boot perfect for mountain residents. They also offer Boggs and many brands of kids’ boots in popular styles.

“With the workshop in the back of the building, the Perrys have the equipment to fix just about anything, coats, zippers, backpacks, belts, hats and purses. They can put on Vibram soles, revitalize those old hiking boots that fit perfectly.”

The Perry’s model for business was more than just a good fit for the town. It represented that refurbished, “old but still good” spirit that shines in Nederland  so well that the shop quickly became a fixture, as if it had always been there, a bedrock business that Nederland was proud to have and be a part of its century-long legacy.  

Unfortunately, all things must some day come to an end. On December 14, Emily announced to the Nederland community that Perry’s Shoe Shop was closing its doors.

“After 103 years in business, proudly kept in the Perry family, it's time to say goodbye,” Emily wrote. “George and Becky want to give a heartfelt thank-you for your support over all these years. This community has meant everything to our family.”

The shop remains lively in its final weeks, as George kept getting pulled away from the interview to help customers. It serves to show that Perry’s Shoe Shop is still a vital commodity.

However, even though business remains good, the Perry family feels that the time is right to close up shop.

George and Becky grow eager to start a new chapter in their lives, free of the never-ending tasks associated with being shopowners, and the Perry siblings, despite all having provided their parents free labor in the shop over the years, with Emily even helping with the books through college (when she would sneak quick naps in the back of the shop), are also ready to let the business go. 

As for what retirement looks like for George Perry III, and what his plans might be…

“I’m gonna wing it,” George said, almost excitedly. “I’m going to get rid of all of my equipment and everything, and then I’ll figure it out—probably start skiing again.”  

Perry’s Shoe Shop’s last day of business will be on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, with everything in store on sale for 50% off. George was sure to mention that there are still Spry boots, handmade Stewart cowboy boots, sheepskin slippers, Minnetonka moccasins, Casey boots, and a variety of insoles and laces in stock.

Be sure to stop in at 114 East 2nd Street to say hello.