Customers can take part, too, by bringing in canned goods that will be distributed at Hope in Action, a charity that fights hunger in the city. Depending on how much you give and the items you buy, you can accumulate points. Those with the most points get their pick of several prizes.
Martin’s began as a shoe store in 1959, located in the outdoor dining area just south of Tailgaters on South Main Street. Over the years, as the business grew and as opportunities allowed, the store moved to various places in town, including the Village Shopping Center, 217 South Main, the North Hervey Street Shopping Center and finally, in 1988, its current location on the west side of North Hervey across from Harbor Freight.
The anniversary will be about offering value to customers, Store Manager Alan Martin said, but also about service to local causes. “As the week progresses, we'll have other things each week for a period of time, and try to raise awareness for different things that are going on in the community, and try to get people interested in giving.”
On the store’s Facebook page, a posting made Sunday afternoon said the anniversary week celebration is “our way of saying thank you for making us Business of the Year.” Martin’s won this distinction at the Hope-Hempstead County Annual Banquet and Awards Dinner April 15th.
The customer who collects the most points for giving and for shopping at Martin’s will receive their choice of one item from the following offerings: a Google/Phillips television, an Apple Ipad, an Apple watch, Apple Air Pods, an ice maker, a Ninja ker, a session at Bright Images photography, a nugget ice maker and a $300 Martin’s Gift Card. Those who place from second to ninth will choose, in numerical order, from what is left after their predecessors choose.
About the store’s origin, Martin said, his grandfather Earl Martin met with skepticism from his wife Sammy as he explained the idea. “She said, ‘We gotta be crazy. There's already four shoe stores in Hope.’”
As the store opened up, the Martins found their niche in offering shoes priced lower than those of their competitors. “They opened it up and started out really at the bottom of the ladder. It was a discount shoot quality, because there wasn't a lot of room in the marketplace to have another business. I remember them talking about selling athletic shoes that were a dollar and athletic shoes that were $2. They never sold the ones that were $2 well. They were too expensive.
“As time went along, we opened a second shoe store in Hope in 1973 in the Village Shopping Center. My dad [Greg] would have graduated from college about that time. So they opened that one to have a different clientele,” Alan Martin said.
Soon after, Martin’s leased the shoe section of West Department store, but had to close that and move to a new location quickly when West went bankrupt in 1988. Fortunately, the building where Martin’s is now was soon ready to move into.
In 2004, the store made its merchandise, now including women's, mens' and children's clothes and accessories, available for purchase on the internet, resulting in 50 percent of its business now coming from this market.
Martin’s has closed the store as of Sunday and plans to re-open Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. for the anniversary celebration.
