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January 29, 2020 Q&A

Matt Arciuolo, Arciuolo’s Shoes, Milford: Following in the family-biz footsteps

PHOTO | Contributed Arciuolo: ‘Most kids want to be a fireman or an astronaut. But I always wanted to do what my dad did.’
By Makayla Silva

Francesco Arciuolo opened his shoe store on Naugatuck Avenue in Milford’s Walnut Beach neighborhood in 1921. Nearly a century later, Arciuolo’s is now in its fourth generation of family ownership, operated by Matthew Arciuolo II, whose father, Matthew Jr., operated it before him — and his father before him. In an era when pretty much anything, and certainly shoes, are sold online or through large national chains, a thriving family retail business is an exception to the rule. 

NHB talked with Arciuolo’s co-owner, Matt Arciuolo Jr., about operating a small century-old family business in an increasingly challenging global retail climate — and why customer service has always been and remains the name of the game.

At age 30, how does it feel to be a part of a 100-year legacy?

Not many people can walk into a career with an 85-year-old business. I am so grateful to be a part of the legacy. I started working here in 2004 when I was freshman in high school at Notre Dame of West Haven. Even before that, I was sweeping and vacuuming from the time I was a kid. Most kids want to be a fireman or an astronaut. But I always wanted to do what my dad did because I saw what an impact he was making on the people around him. We would go to a grocery store and people would come up to him and talk about how they are finally walking pain-free and were so grateful. I could always see how much people respected him. And I wanted to make my mark as well. 

How did you decide to follow in the family footsteps, so to speak?

After graduating from Notre Dame in 2008, I went to Western Connecticut State University and got a degree in small-business management. I focused all of my studies on ways to specifically benefit our business. Post-grad I got certified as a pedorthist with the Eneslow Pedorthic Institute in 2012 taking a month-long intensive course and then completing 1,000 clinical hours.

Today a prosperous professional person might own 40 pairs of shoes. Fifty years ago that number was maybe ten. Are shoes lower-quality and more disposable now?

There’s something to be said for a high-quality, durable product. All shoes we sell, we test indoors for longevity. We guarantee our products. If any shoes do not last their projected lifespan, we are happy to swap out and replace. Think about how many crappy shoes you need to burn through in the lifespan of one good one. I genuinely believe in buying for quality. A cheap shirt never hurt anybody. But you have to walk on these things — all day, every day. 

There’s only an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 independent shoe stores left in the $72 billion footwear market in the US. What has contributed to your ability to stay in business for a century as an independent retailer?

Keeping our ear to the ground and being very aware of how things are changing. That’s been the most important thing we can do as a business — adapt. Something that worked in 1980 doesn’t necessarily work in 2020. We have always been a specialty shop that has focused on hard-to-fit sizing, which is still an invaluable part of our business, but we have married that with more fashion-forward styles. We are doing the sharp and sexy stuff. On the orthotics side, staying on the cutting edge of new technology helps us to be more accurate, most cost-effective, and improve our turnaround time. We are receptive to new ideas and try not to remain static. Adapt and change. 

Fast-forward to 2020. How have you transitioned from an established mom and pop store to an innovative company specializing in custom orthotics?

We are a 100-year-old comfort casual shoe store. But 40 percent of our business is the custom orthotics we create for people in pain or athletes who want to perform better. My dad founded Footstar Orthotics specializing in custom orthotics inserts for men, women and children.(Footstar was selected to provide the orthotics for the U.S. Olympic bobsled and skeleton teams, both of which earned medals wearing Footstar Orthotics products.) He also created VKTRY Gear, in 2016, patenting a carbon-fiber insole that is currently used by more than 200 pro and college teams. We do a gait analysis and analyze the way you walk, pressure-mapping which determines where someone is applying pressure, and contour mapping rendering a corrective 3D impression of someone’s foot. From there we laser-cut the orthotics onsite. People don’t expect a little mom-and-pop shop to be on the cutting edge of orthotics manufacturing, but we are.

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