By Lani Gering

The Corner of King and Alfred – Your One Stop Shop

Old Town Shoe & Luggage – Old Town Pack & Ship – Old Town Mini-Mart

Rodrigo and Jenny Restrepo opened the doors to Old Town Shoe and Luggage in 1996 at their original location at 726 King Street. A few years went by and they decided that Old Town could probably use a place for its residents to take items to be packed and shipped and a place for mailing services so Old Town Pack & Ship AKA TOP Services opened its doors in 1999 at 615 King Street. Fast forward to 2006 when they incorporated both businesses into the current space on the corner of King and South Alfred Streets – 822 & 824 King. One would think that owning and managing two successful businesses would be enough to keep them busy but Rodrigo felt that there was a need for a place for locals to pick up food items and staples in Old Town without having to go to the mainstream grocery store. Hence, Old Town Mini-Mart opened its doors in January of this year. The Mart and TOP Services now operate out of the same space at 822 King.

The Shoe & Luggage “division” of the Restrepo Enterprise have maintained 4-5 star ratings for years. The quality of the shoe and luggage repair is stellar and they take great pride in their work. They pride themselves not only on their work but on their customer service. I have had them repair several pairs of shoes and purses over the years and I can vouch for both. The store also has a large inventory of luggage and travel accessories with every size you can imagine. They also carry a nice line of shoe maintenance products, shoe laces, etc. Probably one of my favorite things about this store is the fact that they have in-store feline “ambassadors” that can be seen lounging in the windows or among the many pieces of luggage throughout the store. I always stop and check the windows when I walk by.

The Pack & Ship “division” is multi-functional to say the least and is known as TOP Services to many. Not only do they handle all of your packing and shipping needs, they provide a vast array of “services” – check cashing, faxing, money wiring, mail boxing and selling winning lottery tickets among them. The Old Town Crier has used TOP’s as their go to place for mailing subscriptions and shipping bundles to outlying distribution locations for well over 15 years.

The Mini-Mart is the new kid on the block. Having only been open for a little over a month, it was bustling when I was conducting this interview. The inventory is growing by the day as they are figuring out the needs of their customers. Most recently they have added beer and wine to their shelves and are looking to expand that inventory. In addition to groceries and sundries, they also carry cell phone accessories and other electronic necessities. Next time you are in Old Town, stop in and check it out!