Longtime Charlotte shoe store in South End forced to close after 23 years

A Charlotte shoe store is getting the boot after 23 years at its South End location.

The Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse on South Boulevard will close on June 27, company spokeswoman Brenda Christmon said.

The 20,000-square-foot store opened in June 1998 and has 12 employees, Christmon said.

“Our lease was not up and we had no plans on vacating the building,” she said. “It was strictly a landlord decision.”

The 2408 South Blvd. property was sold to Asana Partners in 2016 for nearly $6.2 million, according to Mecklenburg County property records.

Asana Partners did not immediately respond for comment Wednesday.

Rack Room expansion plans

There are three other Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse in the Charlotte area at Perimeter Woods near Northlake Mall, Concord Mills mall and Blakeney shopping center on Rea Road.

Rack Room Shoes, headquartered in Charlotte, purchased Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse in 2002.

Christmon said Rack Room Shoes plans to build more than 20 stores nationally in the next year. Since finding out a couple months ago that the South End store would have to close, she said it’s likely another store will be planned in the Charlotte market.

Rack Room Shoes was founded in 1922 in Salisbury and moved its headquarters to Charlotte in 1984. The company has nearly 515 locations in 36 states. It has more than 5,000 store workers and 250 corporate employees.

This story was originally published June 9, 2021 at 4:43 PM.