East Vancouver boot shop destroyed in April fire finds new home

An iconic East Vancouver boot shop that was destroyed in a fire earlier this year will soon reopen in a new location.

In the early morning hours of April 23, Vancouver fire crews responded to a massive blaze on East Hastings Street.

Crews said the fire was put out shortly after 4 a.m., before it expanded and reignited. Ultimately, the busy block was closed for hours until the fire was completely extinguished around 1 p.m.

A restaurant — The Indian Chefs Kitchen and Bar, a butcher — Windsor Meats, and a shoe store — Dayton Boots (also known as Wohlford & Co.) were destroyed by the fire. Other nearby businesses, including a pharmacy, were impacted.

Now, footwear is back on the shelves at Dayton Boots — but with a different look.

“We’ve been slowly salvaging things out of the building, and bringing them over here to try and put back the pieces,” Amy Slosky, a shoemaker, told The Leader Spirit.

Decades of craftsmanship were destroyed in the fire. Staff were only able to salvage some old equipment and refurbish boots that had been water-damaged.

“You wouldn’t know by looking that they’ve survived a fire,” Slosky said, showing off a pristine boot.

“To see Dayton burning that day — 80 years of history that was going up in smoke — was so hard to take. So the fact that we do have a path forward, we’re going to reopen, being able to salvage, we found space — it’s all great and super positive.”

Operating out of a donated retail space in Vancouver’s Strathcona neighbourhood, the new Dayton Boots is fitted with old furniture from a Hudson’s Bay liquidation sale.

The space also offers Tyler Toews, an artist whose studio was destroyed in the fire, a place to paint.

“Losing my studio had a major impact on my life,” said Toews, adding that he’s grateful to the shop owners for bringing him along to the new location.

There’s still lots to do to get the shop up and running, but Dayton Boots is hoping to welcome customers back to the showroom sometime this fall.