NEWS RELEASE
MISTER SAFETY SHOES
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Mister Safety Shoes has opened its 29th store, and its first in Barrie.
The first Barrie store location for Mister Safety Shoes is located at 222 Mapleview Dr. W. at Reid Drive and opened Tuesday, April 19, 2022.
Mister Safety Shoes is proudly Canadian company carrying more than 200 styles of the best brands of work boots and safety shoes, plus work clothing.
“We’ve wanted to have a store in Barrie for a long time and we’ve finally found a great location. Barrie has a diverse range of industries and workers and we want to make sure they are comfortable and protected on the job,” says owner John Colantonio.
Mister Safety Shoes is also celebrating 50 years in business as a proudly Canadian-owned and operated retailer of safety footwear.
It started with one man and an accident.
In 1950, an Italian immigrant named Frank Colantonio saw a fellow labourer tragically die because of a workplace hazard. It left an indelible impression on him.
In 1972, Frank and his wife Nella, opened a small store on Dufferin Street in Toronto. They recognized a growing need in the market for a store that specialized in footwear and apparel for workers. And, in 1972 the government of Ontario made it mandatory for construction workers to wear CSA-Certified Green Patch footwear on job sites.
Their son John joined the company in the 1980s and since then has expanded store locations across Ontario and Alberta. Along the way he also expanded their fleet of mobile shoe stores (called ‘Shoemobiles’) to serve a growing range of businesses in key industrial sectors, including construction, auto manufacturing, warehousing and food processing.
“From the very beginning our goal has been to put the customer first. A lot of companies like to say that, but we live and breathe it every day. After all, our customers work hard every day and rely on their safety footwear to not only protect them but support them. We take that seriously,” says Colantonio.
Established in 1972 as a proudly Canadian, family-owned and operated safety footwear retailer, Mister Safety Shoes now serves a wide range of industries, businesses, and workers in Ontario and Alberta through its many retail locations, fleet of mobile shoe stores, and corporate safety footwear programs.
For more information, please contact Michael Hampton at Mister Safety Shoes [email protected] 416-746-3000, ext. 233
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