Tony Shoes is a Greene Avenue landmark

“You’ve got to have a good staff, who work hard and who care,” observes Anthony Fargnoli, the store’s owner. He should know; he’s been working here for 34 years this April.

Fargnoli’s family has owned The Real Tony’s Shoe Shop since his grandfather opened the store in 1937. A dozen different shoe repair businesses were then in operation between Atwater and Olivier, many of them already named Tony’s; Giantonio Fargnoli chose a name that he hoped would make his store stand out. It did. The business thrived, eventually shifting from repair to retail, and became a Montreal tradition.

“My grandfather was well-respected in the community as a self-made man,” reflects Anthony Fargnoli. “And because I respected him too, it gave me joy to stand with him and with my father.

“I had grown up in the store from a young age, working with my grandfather by my side,” he says. “Things sort of evolved, working summers while going to school. Eventually it came time, and the reins were passed. I was fortunate to have my wife join me in that endeavour.”

His family’s history with the store is a real motivator for him, says Fargnoli. “I had a pride in being involved in the third generation of the family business, to follow in the footsteps of my father and grandfather ... to be able to carry on something my family started, and to do it successfully.”

From working alongside his grandfather, Fargnoli’s gone on to work alongside his son, Robert, a certified pedorthist who has medical training in foot ailments. “It’s funny, working with the next generation you have a different viewpoint than when you were the young one ... you have to have a broader perspective, and you’re trying to translate that in a way that they can appreciate, to work with them to open their eyes ... you’re trying to get them to be open.”

Fargnoli’s broader perspective extends to the community around him. A former vice-president of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, he’s worked with a group that’s raised over $200,000 for the imaging department of the current Queen Elizabeth Health Complex. He’s also set up a bursary program at The Real Tony’s Shoe Shop; under this program, when students from a participating private school buy their school shoes at Tony’s, an amount equal to 5 per cent of the value of the shoes is given to the school to be used for charity.

In a sense, it’s the same community awareness that led to Tony’s Shoe Shop promising free local delivery. “We try and offer a service for those who maybe cannot get out,” said Fargnoli. “The older customer who cannot get out in the colder winter days, or the family people who may be occupied. If we can offer that service, why not?”

But he knows that being active in the community isn’t always enough. “The fact is,” he says, “you must work hard in your business. Every entrepreneur must. Our job is to go out there, and see if we can find the styles, the looks, that can fulfill the needs of our customers. We’re trying every day.

“Nothing’s taken for granted.”