Frank’s Wide Shoes has opened at 6208 N. Division, in the same space that Rizzuto’s Wide Shoes operated out of before closing earlier this year.

When Frank Petrilli heard Ron Rizzuto was planning to close his wide shoe store, he jumped at the opportunity to meet a need in the Spokane community.

“Rizzuto’s did a good job for many, many years, and I just didn’t want to see it go away, because the customers need help,” says Petrilli, who owns Frank’s Boot Co. and Saad’s Shoe Repair. “They need to get fit right.”

Petrilli didn’t acquire Rizzuto’s, he explains. He leased the same space, filled it back up with many of the same brands and products that were offered at Rizzuto’s, and hired two of the women who worked at Rizzuto’s.

The two employees now make up the entire staff at Frank’s Wide Shoes.

AMGB Inc. is the parent company for Frank's Boot Co. and Frank's Wide Shoes. Saad's Shoe Repair is operated out of Frank's Boot Co., at 3805 N. Market. 

“(Frank's Wide Shoes) is kind of an expansion of the Frank’s Boot business into the world of people with hard-to-fit feet,” Petrilli says.

Frank’s Boot Co. crafts handmade boots and retails some other popular boot brands. It also offers custom fitting and builds boots for people who have difficulty finding the right fit, Petrilli says.

“The wide shoe store fit right into that because that clientele is people who have extremely wide feet, or they’re diabetics, or their feet swell,” Petrilli says. “It just kind of fit under my expertise.”

Frank’s Wide Shoes also offers some shoe repair services and provides shoe lifts for people who have one leg that's longer than the other—a service that was previously offered at Rizzuto’s, Petrilli says.

Petrilli says it’s important to have a local store that offers wide and specialized footwear because it gives people a place to try them on, rather than having to shop online and return shoes if they don’t fit. 

This isn’t the first time Petrilli has stepped in to help keep a segment of the footwear industry afloat in Spokane.

In 2019, about three years after Petrilli had opened Frank’s Boot Co., he acquired Saad’s Shoe Repair when he found out the longtime Spokane company was going to close. He then moved Saad’s Shoe Repair into the same building Frank’s Boot Co. operates out of.

Saad’s Shoe Repair had been serving the Spokane area since 1905.

“Over time, two other shoe repair shops have closed in Spokane,” Petrilli says. “I purchased all of their equipment to keep the shoe repair business alive in Spokane.”

Petrilli offers repair services for shoes, belts, purses, and other leather-based products through the Saad’s Shoe Repair part of his store.

Frank’s Boot Co., Saad’s Shoe Repair, and Frank’s Wide Shoes employ about 20 people combined.

Frank’s Wide Shoes is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.