Owners Dave Levy and Joe Gradia have been best friends since childhood.
Hawley Lane Shoes, a five-store, Connecticut-based sit-and-fit family chain, isn’t just a job for owners Dave Levy and Joe Gradia. It runs much deeper than that. The two, who became best friends at age nine and business partners in 2005, are on a dual mission. One: to keep the shoe retailing legacy that Levy’s grandfather (Jack Smolensky), mother (Sandy Levy), and uncle (Bob Smolensky) built alive and thriving. Two: to alleviate shoe-related pain for as many people as possible—whenever and wherever they come across it. The two missions combined are a way of life, 24-7, for Levy and Gradia.
“What we do goes above and beyond the 60-hour work weeks that we regularly put in,” Gradia says. “It’s just part of our daily lives. We see something and we address it. It’s not monetary-driven, really. It’s something that we were gifted by the people who built this business, to take away pain, that we share. We never get tired of doing that.”
Case in point: “I embarrass the hell out of my kids all the time when I walk up to someone on the street because I can see that there’s something wrong with their knee or foot,” Levy says, noting he’ll introduce himself, ask if they’re in pain, and then say he can help eliminate it. “It’s almost a daily event. You wind up helping a lot of people just by meeting them in the Starbucks line.” As for the conversion rate, Levy gives each person his cell number and “I’d say one out of 20 contact me, but that adds up.”
Gradia performs similar on-the-street outreach efforts, but it’s the mission of keeping the family legacy alive that he remembers first each morning. “I made a promise to Sandy that I’d do everything in my power to help keep this family business legacy going,” he says, describing her as a second mom. “Each morning, I look in the mirror and say I’m going to give it my best.”
That’s the passion fueling Hawley Lane Shoes, and it trickles down to its 70-plus employees. This is a family business, first and foremost, Levy says. It starts with treating employees like they’re family.
Case in point: A new employee recently suffered the loss of her father. Levy and Gradia, who recently lost their mothers, understood all too well what that feels like. They sent her an edible arrangement from the entire Hawley Lane Shoes family. It meant a lot. “She thanked us for caring, and then said this is such a different place,” Levy recalls, which meant a lot to him. “We pay employees as fairly as we can but, more importantly, we treat them as well as we can. That’s who we are and what we offer. We’re not a corporate place. We’re a family.”
Sam Spears, president of Ara North America, says family is the first word that comes to mind whenever he thinks of Hawley Lane Shoes. “They are community family stores, offering shoes for customers nine days old to 90 years old, plus accessories and orthopedic devices that allow people to be pain-free and independent,” he says. “They have knowledgeable staff that can confidently and accurately assist with the right shoe for prom or plantar fasciitis. They also support community charities, hospitals, and schools. They see everyone that comes through their doors as family.”
Hawley Lane Shoes employees are trained to go above and beyond to make everyone who enters feel like a guest in their home. It starts with a warm greeting, offering a complimentary cold drink or coffee, and an expert fitting. Levy says it’s really the only way to stand out these days. “We have to put aside the fact that we sell commodities, because pretty much everyone carries Hoka, On, Birkenstock, Ugg, etc.,” he says. “So we have to make sure we’re consistent in offering everyone who enters those extra niceties on top of our expert fittings. It’s hard to do, but we have to elevate ourselves constantly to be different and exceptional.”
Exceptional customer service even extends to the occasional house call. Like the customer who recently suffered a stroke. Gradia brought Hawley Lane Shoes as best he could to the man’s house. “We fitted him properly, and then he started walking without his walker,” he says. “It was amazing. That’s what keeps us going.”
The reward of helping people makes combatting the daily grind of running a retail business worth it. Challenges include finding and retaining good employees, dealing with rising fixed costs, and competing with brands selling DTC, not to mention outside forces like the economy, a pandemic, a trade war, you name it. “It’s a constant uphill battle, but what brings a smile to our faces is being able to change people’s lives—and putting a smile on their faces—by giving them a custom fit and taking away their pain immediately,” Gradia says.
In fact, such success stories are how Hawley Lane Shoes kicks of its weekly Wednesday morning conference calls. Each store manager shares an interaction with a customer that was especially helpful. “It’s so rewarding and motivating to hear so many testimonials about how we helped alleviate their pain with proper fittings and shoe recommendations,” Levy says. “Someone has Parkinson’s, a kid who has a hard time ambulating, a bone spur…it’s awesome to hear how we changed and enhanced their lives.” Levy adds, “Every single testimonial represents that goal; it’s part of our DNA.”
One such testimonial, emailed recently, really pulled at the team’s heartstrings, but it wasn’t pain relief related. The email read: I’m a single mother of four and every dollar matters when it comes to taking care of my kids. Back-to-school season can be overwhelming, but this year it was different because of Hawley Lane Shoes. They are the only store during tax-free week in Connecticut that truly understands what saving means for families like mine. They go above and beyond with no limits, making sure that every child who walks into the store, walks out with confidence on their feet. I will never forget the smiles on my kids’ faces when they each got a brand-new pair of shoes. It wasn’t just a purchase; it was a blessing. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
“This is the stuff that makes you rise above tariffs, increasing overhead expenses, stress, and on and on that we face every day,” Levy says. “It’s amazing to see that we made that difference in her family’s life.”
Friends and Fate
Hawley Lane Shoes locations are family sit-and-fit destinations offering a Who’s Who of top brands.
Levy and Gradia didn’t always intend to take over Hawley Lane Shoes. In fact, that wasn’t the plan at all. Out of college, Levy had dreams of becoming a power broker on Wall Street. But his footwear roots then drew him to the corporate side, working in marketing, product development, and sales at Stride Rite and Tommy Hilfiger for several years. Meanwhile, Gradia went to work for Cablevision, eventually overseeing a team of 100 employees doing installations. They remained good friends.
While Levy loved the creativity and brand building aspects of that corporate world, he grew tired of the politics. “Burned out,” he joined the family business in 2000. He wanted to get back to his family roots of helping people. Plus, the entrepreneur at heart had some growth ideas. The first step, though, was taking Robert Schwartz’s pedorthist class. “My mother and grandfather were pedorthists, so it just made a lot of sense because our family has a passion for helping people,” he says, noting that he was attending the class while negotiating the lease for the second store in Norwalk. “A year after, we doubled the size of that store and then, a year later, we opened our Stamford location.”
Levy hit the ground running. But it wasn’t until his old friend became a satisfied Hawley Lane Shoes customer that he found his business partner. It was 2005 and Gradia, on his feet all day in heavy work boots, was complaining of various ailments. Levy switched him to Brooks running shoes and Gradia has been pretty much wearing the style pain-free ever since. You might say Gradia saw the light that day. “He fixed my problem and put me back on track,” Gradia says. “Just to know that is something that we can do is priceless, because 86 percent of Americans are wearing the wrong-sized shoes. They’re living this discomfort every day and they don’t have to.”
The two had often talked about potential business ventures together and realized the best one was staring them in the face. Having grown up together and working in Hawley Lane Shoes stockrooms, they knew the business and were deeply tied to it. So they sat down with Levy’s mother and uncle and mapped out a next generation ownership plan. “Joe has basically carried the business since,” Levy says, adding, “A lot of why he did this was to help carry on my mother’s legacy. That means the world to me.” Adds Gradia, “From the start, we envisioned growth and more stores to keep the family business going, even if we had no idea of the tremendous challenges and obstacles we’d face. But somehow, we’ve made it happen, because that’s what we do.”
Connecting in Connecticut
A key to Hawley Lane Shoes’ half century of longevity is its ability to make strong connections with customers and the communities (Danbury, Stamford, Norwalk, Shelton, and Orange) where the stores reside. The chain is a regular supporter of public-school music and sports programs.
Another community outreach highlight, which Levy plans to reintroduce, was the program his mother spearheaded in 2019 to send disadvantaged kids to summer camp. Rather than just cut a check, Hawley Lane Shoes reached out to brands for product donations while encouraging Norwalk High School students to fundraise through bake sales, a raffle, a walk-a-thon, and a kids’ concert. “My mom wanted to give kids a purpose in their lives by helping raise money so they could help fund other kids’ summer camp dreams,” Levy explains. “The kids raised enough funds to send 52 kids to camp that summer.”
Birkenstock Americas President David Kahan cites Hawley Lane Shoes’ community outreach, along with the “simple premise” of providing great product and great service, as keys to its long-running success. “Dave and Joe share a passion for the business, and they’re very engaged in their communities,” he says. “They know product and they’re a step ahead on anticipating shifts in the market.” Another key, Kahan says, is serving families across all ages and the ability to build and maintain long-term relationships. “They’ve shared our brand with thousands of people across Connecticut over many years and we appreciate the high level of service they provide. Our business together is exceptional,” he says.
Likewise for Edward Kanner, CEO of the Kanner Group, North American distributors of Gabor, Think!, and Emu. The partnership with Hawley Lane dates back to 1997. He singles out the chain’s ability to “adapt and thrive” under conditions that test anyone’s resolve. “It’s a testament to Dave’s resilience and smart leadership,” Kanner says, noting that Levy has become more than a business partner. “He’s been a friend, mentor, and a source of perspective in both good times and bad. He’s one of those rare people I consider a good human: humble, honest, and guided by the highest integrity and always committed to doing business the right way.” Adds Kanner, “Our Hawley Lane partnership is carefully managed and continues to show steady growth.”
Spears reports similar steady growth for Ara, noting Levy and Gradia have been instrumental in the brand’s product development, collection curation, and merchandising process. “Dave has an amazing eye for product. His trend forecasting is vital to our business,” he says, adding, “He and Joe see where a brand is and where it’s going, and build the business around that.” Hawley Lane Shoes’ customer service, inventory management, and “Swiss watch-like” invoice payments are also notable, Spears says. Last but not least, he cites Levy and Gradia’s rare business attribute of humility. “They are big fish in their area and could be real jerks to brands and customers if they wanted, but they’re respectful,” he says. “At the risk of using an overused word that has lost a lot of its meaning, Dave and Joe are partners.”
Hawley Lane Shoes has been solid partners with Taos Footwear for 15 years, reports President/COO Bill Langrell. “Lasting 50 years in this business doesn’t just happen by accident,” he says. “It takes a ton of hard work, smart decisions, and really knowing your customers. Hawley Lane has always put the customer experience first, and that’s why people keep coming back generation after generation. Their loyal customers are the reason they’ve been able to thrive for so long.”
Forward March
Levy and Gradia remain as committed to Hawley Lane Shoes as the day each started. Five locations are enough, because they believe there is enormous growth potential within that reach. For starters, pain is a universal issue, and thousands of Connecticut consumers are wearing ill-fitting shoes. Levy and Gradia strive to relieve them one pair at a time.
That’s the secret ingredient to Hawley Lane Shoes’ longevity, Levy says. Namely, his family’s guiding retail principle: “We don’t sell shoes. We fit feet.” “I heard that since I was a kid—even if it meant walking a customer,” he says. “They’d rather lose the sale if it meant a customer would be buying a tight-fitting shoe.” Levy says his forebearers also did fittings for free and advised whether customers needed new shoes or not. “With that came a lot of trust,” he says. “My grandfather, mother, and uncle built the foundation of our business, and it remains 100 percent our retail philosophy.”
Gradia says the family built unbelievable relationships. “We continue to carry that baton,” he says. And while every day has its challenges, Levy and Gradia believe the ends justify the means. “Sometimes it can feel overwhelming but then, like recently, I went into one of our stores at 7:30 a.m. and saw a few employees already there,” Levy says. “That really energized me. It always goes back to the passion we have for this business.”
Levy knows his mother, for one, would be proud seeing Hawley Lane Shoes at 50. In fact, that’s what he’s most proud of. “Toward the end of her life and battling Alzheimer’s, she’d visit our stores on occasion and just smile,” he says. “It was priceless. I knew she was very proud.”
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