RICHFIELD, Minn. - Squeezed out of its role as the last original tenant at Southdale Center in Edina, Ralph's Shoe Service is preparing to open in a Richfield strip mall.
"I just kept counting these days down," smiles Bill Roase, Ralph's third-generation owner.
Wednesday was moving day as equipment stored in Roase's garage for the past two months was loaded in a truck and moved to Ralph's new location at 6623 Penn Avenue.
Ralph Roase, Bill's grandfather, became one of Southdale's inaugural tenants in 1956. Ralph passed the business on to Ron Roase, Bill's father, who then passed the business on to Bill.
Ralph's left the mall in December after Bill Roase decided he couldn't afford the two moves the mall was proposing within Southdale to make way for a new food court.
The shop's uncertain future prompted a flood of support, including a "Save Ralph's" Facebook page, $1200 in donated cash and an offer from Ruth Piano Movers to relocate the contents of Ralph's Shoe Service, first to Bill's garage and then to his new store.
Ruth's owner, John Roslin, says he was moved to help when he learned of Bill Roase's plight on the news. "Hit me kind of hard. It's something my mom would have really appreciated, you know," Roslin said. "Over the years, that's the kind of person she was."
Bill Roase hopes to have his new store open for business in early March, but at least one customer walked up to the locked front door with a worn pair of shoes as the movers carried machines in the back.
"I feel I'm wanted around here," said Bill Roase.
The neighborhood seems to agree.
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