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After more than four decades on Marshall Street, J. Michael Shoes is undergoing an ownership change. In Dec. 2024, StreeTgame, a sneaker store with multiple locations across upstate New York, took over the business, marking the end of generations of local ownership.

The transition has left many longtime customers and staff reminiscing on the cozy, welcoming atmosphere that has defined the store since it opened in the 1980s. Despite the change, J. Michael employees said they’re working to maintain its close-knit identity while catering to a broader community across Syracuse.

Under new management, the store will add new employees to its staff and seek to increase their sales to Gen Z customers, sales associate Ava Bartholomew said.

Despite already offering a wide range of popular brands, the store has always strived to balance offering mainstream items with maintaining the feel of a family business, store manager Colin Smith said. Though the change was expected, it was still disheartening, especially to Smith, who grew up with the store.

“There is a lot of devastation. I’m not going to lie, I did shed a lot of tears with many good customers,” Smith said. “But it was honestly inevitable with Mr. Vavalo getting up there in age.”

John Valvalo opened the shoe store in 1983 as a cornerstone for local style that blended both comfort and vintage styles.

This change in ownership was especially difficult for Smith, as his family has managed the store for generations. His grandfather, James Hicks, became general manager in the mid-1980s shortly after working in Vavalo’s previous storefront, Townsend Shoe Store. In 1998, Hicks’ nephew Erik took over as general manager. In the months following the COVID-19 pandemic, Smith became the latest representative on the Hicks-Smith management line.

Bartholomew, who has worked at the store for the past year and a half, said her favorite part of working at the store is interacting with customers and alumni from all over the world. As she witnessed the change in ownership, Bartholomew said the familial feel of the store that attracts many customers has begun to fade and affected the store’s clientele.

“A really difficult part about it was when customers would come in and ask if Erik was in today, and I have to explain that he’s not coming,” Bartholomew said. “We’ve had a few people say they didn’t know if they’re going to come back because they knew Erik, James and John so well.”

Alicia Hoppes | Staff Photographer

After 4 decades, the iconic J. Michael Shoes has changed ownership to StreeTgame, a retailer with multiple locations in Upstate New York. This change is expected to revitalize the store with modern advances, but it has left many saddened by the loss of this local landmark.

Since its opening, Smith said J. Michael Shoes has always felt like his family’s store. From Vavalo naming the store after his son, John Michael, to the business’s warm customer service, Smith has always felt at home at the store.

Smith also credited Vavalo for teaching his family the trade, and said, although he isn’t technically related, Vavalo’s decades spent working alongside the Hicks-Smith family has made them feel like relatives.

“I would come in here and get paid to do what I love. I still love what I do, don’t get me wrong, but the people that were with me made everything feel so much easier,” Smith said.

The familial atmosphere has extended beyond the store. As the manager of fellow Marshall Street business Varsity Pizza, Matt Robinson has seen how the store has impacted the Syracuse community over the years.

“They make anyone who enters the store feel like family, and they’ll do anything for you,” Robinson said. “If they don’t have what you’re looking for in store, they’ll order it online for you. They’re a staple, and everyone knows them.”

As manager of one of the oldest establishments on the street, Robinson has seen many larger companies take over local businesses. Though J. Michael Shoes is the latest to follow this trend, the decision to keep the store’s name while implementing a new structure has allowed it to retain its identity, Robinson said.

While the ownership shift is pushing the store into unfamiliar territory, Smith said the change is also exciting. StreeTgame’s new ownership will infuse its edgy, streetwear style clothing and shoes into J. Michael Shoes’ current style, he said. By the end of spring, Smith hopes the store will finalize a refined curation of brands.

As J. Michael’s original iteration comes to a close, Smith reflected on the countless treasured memories from his time at the store. From his first days at work as a teenager to building lifelong connections with customers as an adult, these memories serve as reminders of the family he’s surrounded himself with over the years.

“I’ve walked through those doors and grew up in this industry ever since I was a little kid, almost 25 years ago,” Smith said. “There is no feeling like stepping on the bricks of M street.”

Published on February 6, 2025 at 10:30 am