P.W. Minor announces opening of Batavia shoe store

BATAVIA — Genesee County’s oldest business is making plans to expand its presence.

P.W. Minor on Monday officially announced the opening of a retail store in the heart of the city’s business district at 97 Main St. The company will offer its current full line of P.W. Minor brand shoes, boots and sneakers as well as newly designed styles and new product as it is developed and released to the market.

“As we introduce new styles — and we have many in development — we will immediately place them for sale at our retail facility,” said co-owner Peter Zeliff Sr.

Co-owner Andrew Young refers to the location as “pop-up” store.

“At this point we are committed to the space through the middle of January,” Young said. “We’ll see how it goes. We have had a store at our factory for decades and although that will be closed while we operate the Main Street location, we will always have a retail outlet. Who knows, maybe we’ll have many.”

Young and Zeliff bought the 148-year-old company in July 2014, just days before it was scheduled to close. They later committed to an “American-made” philosophy by rolling out a plan to move any and all foreign manufacturing back to their Batavia factory.

“We are on track to be 100 percent ‘Batavia Made,’ a catch phrase the company and its employees enjoy hearing,” Zeliff said. “We are committed to this community.”

The store is scheduled to be open Tuesdays through Saturdays with expanded hours planned as the need arises.

Contact P.W. Minor at (585) 343-1500.

“These are products made by our neighbors.” Young said. “It’s an opportunity for everyone to assist us in bringing jobs back to Batavia. We look at this as a way to leverage the awesome support we receive from this community.”