Linda Bush bought her first stilettos in 1962 when the then 20-year-old started her first job as an administrative assistant.

She bought three pairs in the same style — in black, brown and blue — at the Harry Young Shoes near St. Clair Ave. and Yonge St. because no shoes ever fitted her so well with her 7-and-a-half, AA narrow feet — something that had prevented her from comfort on her heels. She never looked back since.

When the Mississauga woman learned of the retirement closing of the 97-year-old specialty shoe store, she just said it out loud, “Where am I going to buy my shoes now?”

In 1918, Harry Young opened the family store at Bloor St. and Dovercourt, offering women’s shoes from dress to casual from quadruple As to C and men’s from triple As to triple Es — a niche specialty market overlooked by his competitors.

The store moved to the St. Clair-Yonge location in 1936 and opened a new outlet at Yonge and Adelaide Sts. in 1967 before relocating to its current spot on Front St., just east of Church St.

Since Tuesday, loyal customers have been lining up at the store to shop — and stock up their own inventories — and bid farewell to current owner, Tim Young, the founder’s grandson, and his six long-time employees. The store is on a monthly lease until its stock is cleared, likely at the end of summer.

“I’ve been working at the store since I was 10. I feel a little depressed. It’s like going to a funeral, and you can’t believe someone’s died,” said Young, who turns 60 in October and is closing the store due to a rent hike.

“I am too young to retire. If I was in my mid-40s, I would just move to another location. We are an old-fashioned store, serving one customer at a time. Our service is the main thing. We are one of the last family-run independent retail (shoe) stores. It’s quite a legacy.”

Dorothy Swerling, who turns 92 next week, waited more than 30 minutes in her walker outside the store before she was let in and given a ticket to be served.

“I feel all the good things are leaving Toronto,” lamented Swerling, holding the ticket, No. 99, who took the Wheel-Trans to shop at the store once more. “Maybe quality is not as important as it used to be. Their service is excellent. It’s so sad.”

When Gord Patten was hired in 1980, he never thought he’d have stayed at the job for 35 years. While dealing with difficult and demanding customers is all part of the job, he said Harry Young — one of the first to introduce a private pension plan and employee plan in 1953 — is a great employer that treats its staff like family.

“We have such a strong customer base, from coast to coast, as far as Australia and England. They are all very supportive,” said Patten. “I can’t tell you what’s most memorable in my 35 years here, but one thing I won’t miss is driving in from Brampton to Toronto every day.”

Bush said Harry Young’s shoes are pricey, but they last both in time and styles.

“I put on a shoe that I really liked, but they told me I can’t have them because they were not right for my feet. I have a very high arch, and it’d hurt. I trust them,” she said.

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The only person who’d be happy to see the closing of the store is probably Bush’s husband, Terry Boughner, who chauffeurs his wife to Harry Young at least a couple times a year.

“We come in from Mississauga. I just wait outside when she shops. It is a good thing the store is closing,” said Boughner with a chuckle.