When small, independent shoe stores started to disappear under the wave of mall shopping, Richard Bergeron had the business savvy to survive. Bergeron’s Shoes, a Sanford, Maine, business started by Bergeron’s father in 1932, became a “pedorthic facility,” catering to people who need special sizes and adaptations for medical conditions. The staff now includes two certified pedorthists: Richard’s wife, Marie, and son, Tom.

Bergeron also maintains his business by offering packages to area employers, supplying steel-toed work boots by the thousands. The store draws customers from as far away as northern Vermont and Boston, and was recently featured in an industry publication which called it “one of the footwear industry’s best examples of survive-and- thrive.” Richard may be the CEO, but his business card displays his preferred credentials: OSM (Old Shoe Man.)