Juanita McCrum, owner of Ron & Nita's

In Sidney, Ohio, Juanita McCrum is building on the foundation of a shoe store that’s been around for more than 144 years. In 1986, McCrum and her late husband, Ron, bought the downtown shoe store, then known as Kayser’s, transforming it into a one-stop shop for apparel and footwear and renaming it Ron & Nita’s. Since then, McCrum has made sure this town landmark isn’t living in the past. She makes sure the more than 5,000 square foot store is stocked with everything her customers might need. “We carry everything, from baby’s first shoes to grandpa’s slippers,” she tells WSAToday.com. Brands carried in her store include Naturalizer, Bass and New Balance.

Her store’s specialty, however, is workboots. “Safety shoes are my No. 1 seller,” she says. “Customers are looking for slip-resistant soles mainly, and they would like more tech toes, not so heavy steel toes. They have to be composition toes or titanium or something that’s lighter weight.” Aside from a more athletic shoe feel, she says, “Comfort is most the important thing.” Here’s a closer look at some of her customers’ favorites.

2406 by Red Wing Shoe Co.

Price:

Retails for $176

Why It’s A Top Seller:

This model looks tough, but customers say it’s easy on the feet. Says McCrum, “You have the SuperSole 2.0 sole and a PU sole. On the inside, you have Poron and a ComfortForce footbed. There’s a lot of cushion in the bottom.”

25223 by Chippewa

Price:

Retails for $191

Why It’s A Top Seller:

“It’s comfortable, for one thing,” says McCrum. “Its sole holds up tremendously well in oil, petroleum products and the leather is waterproof.” To top it off? “It’s just really nice.”

1309 by Carolina

Price:

Retails for $169.99

Why It's A Top Seller:

This handsome boot from Carolina is more than simply good looking. “It’s comfort. That’s the biggest thing.”

1375 by Nautilus

Price:

Retails for $89.99

Why It’s A Top Seller:

What makes this shoe so special is its steel toe. “It’s a ladies’ athletic shoe, and there aren’t very many ladies’ athletic shoes with steel toes. This one is just really comfortable and it has a wide toe box. It fits the foot really well.”

952 by Red Wing Shoe Co.

Price:

Retails for $122

Why It’s A Top Seller:

“It’s just a dumb ol’ shoe,” McCrum says lovingly. “It’s the way shoes used to be. It’s a plain work shoe. Farmers like it and so do people who don’t want to track things in the house because it has a very smooth chevron outsole.”

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