Charles Gregg said he decided to retire from selling shoes because he believes the time has come to, as the saying goes, smell the roses.
Gregg said that has not set a specific date to close the doors at his business, Gregg Shoes, but that he will be vacating the location in the 500 block of East Main Street by no later than the end of next month. He began a going-out-of-business sale last week.
Gregg said that he is ending an approximately 55-year career selling shoes, with 30 of them being in the heart of the Harbor of Hospitality.
“My business has been good,” Gregg said.
Gregg said he has some wonderful customers and friends, but that he wants to enjoy quality time with the family.
“The retail business is not the easiest,” he said, noting that he and his wife, Judy, have not taken a week-long vacation in probably more than 20 years.
Gregg said he hopes that he and his wife can go on a cross-country trip.
Locally, he has been quite involved in civic and community affairs.
He is a past chairman of the board of the Elizabeth City Area Chamber of Commerce, a past chairman of the Food Bank of the Albemarle, a past president of what today is Arts of the Albemarle and a past president of the Albemarle Area Committee of 100.
He is a founder of and a past president of Elizabeth City Downtown Inc., which is the local Main Street revitalization organization.
Also, he is a past president of the Elizabeth City Morning Rotary Club and continues to serve as a Rotary district foundation chairman.
Asked whether he intends to doing volunteer service locally, he said, “I’ll probably be doing maybe a little bit more.”
Gregg is originally from Virginia Beach, Va.
While Gregg was in high school, he started selling shoes for the Russell & Holmes shoe store chain. He continued to work for the chain while working to complete his education at what today is Old Dominion University.
Also, he said he served in the Army National Guard while in Virginia.
Gregg said he worked his way up to the management level with Russell & Holmes, traveling between stores, before being promoted to a vice president’s position.
He ended up buying the Russell & Holmes store in Elizabeth City.
He said he purchased the location with the intention of opening more Gregg Shoes locations, but that his goal “sort of got put back on hold” because he became involved in the Elizabeth City community.
His wife managed a Gregg Shoes location for a time in a shopping center along U.S. Highway 17 in Williamston before the couple decided to pull back. He said his wife is helping him close the Elizabeth City location.
He said that, at one time, he had as many as six employees at the Elizabeth City location. He said that his remaining employee, Charles Lane is going to retire after careers in fashion merchandising and in the shoe business.
