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August 14, 2002
Los Gatos, California Since 1881 |
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Photograph by George Sakkestad
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Roger Scott never planned on going into
the business of selling shoes.
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The Walking Experience to close
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Shari Kaplan
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Even before taking in the racks upon racks
of shoes, the first thing that visitors
notice upon entering The Walking Experience,
326 N. Santa Cruz Ave., is the rich smell of
leather and suede.
The smell may last indefinitely, but the
footwear won't. That's because longtime owner
Roger Scott has decided it's time to walk
down the road to retirement.
Together with his wife, Judy, and two of
their four children, Scott is moving this
autumn to the Rogue River Valley in southern
Oregon, which he says has a climate and
rainfall almost identical to Los Gatos.
"It's an area we like very much. It's a
slower pace of life, but there are a lot of
things to do," he says. "The whole valley
reminds me of Santa Clara Valley about 25
years ago."
In the meantime, there is still plenty to do
at The Walking Experience, which Scott says
will not close its doors until all the
inventory is gone. By his estimate and the
hundreds of shoes still in the back storage
area, he will probably be in business through
September.
With an amused smile, Scott relates that he
never planned to work in the line of business
that became his career. As a young man, he
studied industrial technology at Fresno City
College as his parents, Wendell and Muriel
Scott, busied themselves with moving from
their Madera home to Los Gatos. The move was
instigated by news from a shoe
shop-owning friend, who told the Scotts
that a shop in Los Gatos, LeRoy's Bootery,
was for sale.
"My dad was working as a bank manager at the
time. But it was always his ambition to be in
business for himself," Scott recalls.
Begun by LeRoy Ruddle in 1955 as a children's
shoe store, the bootery became the Scotts' in
1960 and eventually expanded to be a family
shoe store. Following a stint of active duty
in the U.S. Army Reserve, Scott moved to Los
Gatos and began working for his parents, who
in 1970 named their store Scott's Shoes.
"In 1986 we opened The Walking Experience on
Village Lane, although we still had Scott's
on N. Santa Cruz. Walking was coming into
vogue, and shoes were being designed more for
walking," Scott says, citing Rockport and
Avia as some frontrunners of the trend.
Three years later, Scott realized that the
strength of shopping mall shoe stores and
large clothing stores like Nordstrom were too
much competition in the way of women's and
children's dress shoes, so Scott's Shoes
closed and The Walking Experience moved
forward.
"We took The Walking Experience and rolled it
to the front. It was a very easy move," Scott
recalls, chuckling.
Among the most enduringly popular shoe brands
designed for walking, he says, are Rockport,
an industry leader; Clark's, perhaps best
known for its colorful Sunbeat sandals; and
Finn Comfort, a German import similar to
Birkenstock. Not limiting its merchandise
solely to walking shoes, the store also
carries footwear for hiking and other
athletic activities—some by these
manufacturers, some by others.
"I've enjoyed having the ability and freedom
to make changes: the development of the
store, development of our website, deciding
what lines to carry," Scott says. He's also
enjoyed working at the store with two of his
own children—sons David, 30, and Cory, 21.
"I'll miss the clientele the most," Scott
adds. "The people here are awesome. A lot of
people have made this a destination place to
shop."
For more information about The Walking
Experience, call 408.354.4253 or visit
www.walking-shoes.com.
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