Newton's Iconic Barn Family Shoe Store Moves Amid Pandemic

NEWTON, MA — The shoe store that has been here for generations, watching family milestones, is stepping toward a new milestone itself amid a pandemic. The Barn Family Shoe Store is set to open its new location at the Washington Place development on Washington Street on Sunday.

On Monday, the store, one of the largest independent shoe stores in New England, will have its official ribbon cutting ceremony. It comes at a time when independent shoe stores have already been struggling. And the opening highlights a bright spot in an otherwise dreary year.

"We're doing this now because this has been in the works for four years, the building is opening. We already had a commitment, and we decided —because the landlord worked with us — we decided to follow through and bet on the future," said Cindy Carrigan who co owns the Barn.

The Barn has been a part of Newton since 1948. It's been tucked away at 25 Kempton Place in West Newton for much of that time. The previous owner handed the business over to Joe Carrigan —who had worked there for some three decades —in 2015, but sold the land to developers. Although the Barn couldn't stay at Kempton Place, the developer invited them to shuffle over and become the anchor store at the Washington Street property in Newtonville.

After years of working with the city, that property is now ready for business.

"We started this journey in August 2016. It just happened [the move] to happen now, during COVID," said Cindy Carrigan, who runs the Barn with her husband. "And we decided to forge ahead."

It hasn't been easy.

"COVID has made things extremely tough," said Carrigan.

The shoe business is a notoriously difficult business, and had been leading up to the pandemic, said Newton-Needham Chamber of Commerce President Greg Reibman. Independent shoe retailers were generally few and far between across the country, with many people opting instead to go to factory stores or online.

"And then for many months the public has been reluctant to go shopping anywhere," Reibman said. "We don't really go through a lot of she's when we're sitting at home in quarantine."

Some shoe brands the Barn once carried have folded, and the back-to-school rush they'd been planning for did not happen as most children are still learning from home.

The iconic shoe store wasn't considered essential and had to close for 11 and a half weeks. They had to let go of 19 employees, some of which they were able to hire back.

"The closure hurt business immensely," she said.

And when they were finally able to reopen in June, things haven't quite been the same.

"Business has been off substantially," she said.

As the Barn, like a number of businesses, worked to scrape by, and applied and participated in government loan and grant programs, she said those were frustrating and time consuming.

Carrigan and her husband are nearing retirement age, so they could have just let it go. But that wasn't an option for them. They did not want to be the ones to close the Barn down after more than 70 years here, she said.

"This is our legacy. Every generation has gone through something. So what? So we’re going through this. You either live or you exist. And we’re living," she said. "We’re betting on the future, investing in the future."

And Carrigan is quick to highlight some bright moments throughout the pandemic. She said the community helped save the iconic mom and pop shop, by buying gift cards when they were closed. She said she's grateful for those customers and is looking forward to thanking them when they come into the new space.

She said she's also grateful for the landlord, the Newton-Needham Chamber of Commerce and long-term employees who have stuck around to help with the move.

"This is going to be a rebirth that we are so happy about," she said. "The new location turned out better than we expected, it's a futuristic dream."

Part of her hope for the future lies in where the new shop is situated.

"When people talk about business it's always 'location, location, location,'" she said.

But even though the Barn is has been considered an institution in Newton, they still get people who come in and tell them they didn’t know they were there.

"Now we are going to be in a vibrant location, in some place that will be alive with tenants with residents and other businesses," she said. "And we’ll have street visibility. It’s going to be a whole new next 72 years for the barn."

The Kids Barn at Kempton Place will be open through Thanksgiving, and then the kids shoe selection will move over to be in the new location.

"The fact that the Carrigan family could get through a pandemic and open a new store is really an astounding feet of patience and perseverance," Reibman said. "They're opening in a really exciting new location in a project that will bring a lot of energy to Newtonville.

Previously:

Newton's Barn Family Shoe Store To Move

The Barn situated at 229 Walnut Street in Newtonville, will be open 12 p.m. to 5 pm. Sunday, and Monday through Wednesday, and Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thursdays and Fridays until 8 p.m.