Peter Song, Jr. had no plans to follow in his father’s footsteps by entering the footwear business, but today he is the heart and “sole” of a new shoe store in Flushing.
Song’s father, Peter Sr., has been in the shoe business for the past 25 years, owning a shop in Brooklyn, but a little over a year ago, the two opened a new retail outlet in Flushing.
“The way I see it, only one percent of Flushing knows we are here,” Peter Song, Jr. said. “I see that increasing to two percent, actually a lot more, next year.”
Song said that he is confident the store will be successful in the Queens neighborhood. He said many customers who have come in once keep coming back any time they need a new pair of shoes.
One of the secrets to their success has been that Song has his own shoe line that is sold in his stores.
Song and his father also make their own brand of shoes, Beckia, NY, which are named after Song’s sister, Becky.
Beckia shoes come in a variety of styles, but Song described the brand as urban or comfort style shoes. Prices for his brand of shoes range from $20 to $360. Song said having the wide range of shoe prices and styles allows them to meet any customer’s demands.
One of the biggest challenges for Song is keeping up with the popular shoe styles.
“It changes so fast now,” Song said. “It used to be season by season; now every week there is a new fashion.”
Their Flushing store is very large, Song said, allowing them to carry any type of shoe. They have over 10,000 square feet of space providing plenty of room to display all of their footwear.
Shoe Village is located at 45-22 162nd Street in Flushing. The store is open from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and closed on Sunday. For more information, call 718-539-3400.
