Father and son Eddie and Chris Bratz have settled into a comfortable working relationship as they've become content with the identity of their store, Monona Bootery and Family Shoes.
Monona Bootery, which is likely the longest operating shoe store in Madison, no longer tries to compete with the big box stores.
Under the guidance of Eddie Bratz, who has sold shoes for 60 years, the store prides itself on the service it can provide and the help it can give customers who have concerns with their feet. Recently the store installed a foot scanner and it receives referrals from physicians.
At 76, Eddie Bratz has reduced his hours but hasn't given serious consideration to retirement. He still finds satisfaction in working with customers.
"It's still the thrill of the crowd," he said. "We do have many people voice their appreciation for the time and the effort we show in helping them."
The store, which was started in 1956 by Harrison Gates, is now at 4104 Monona Drive. Eddie Bratz became a partner with Gates in 1962 after working for him and other retailers since he was 16.
Eddie Bratz and his wife, Lois, have four boys: David, 54, Chris, 52, Andrew, 50, and Lawrence, 48.
When they were young, the boys would come down to the store while their father worked, trying on shoes and rummaging in the basement. They also played on the store's iconic wooden carousel, which is operated with foot pedals and has remained in the store.
"We hung around and if we needed cash we'd dust the top of the shelves and other odds and ends," Chris Bratz said.
When they were around 15 or 16, most of them started more serious work in the store, starting with stocking and becoming familiar with shoes. Eventually, they would start fitting shoes under supervision.
Chris Bratz didn't work in the store as a high schooler but rather chose to be an usher at Capitol Theater. He graduated from La Follette High School in 1974.
Since he butted heads with his dad while growing up, Chris Bratz wasn't sure if it made sense to join the business.
At the same time, the store was struggling and Eddie Bratz wasn't sure if it could support another person.
At one point, Eddie Bratz heard that JC Penney might need some employees and suggested Chris Bratz apply, but Chris didn't follow the suggestion.
"I never listened to him back then," Chris Bratz said.
He worked in construction and then at Oscar Mayer. After being laid off and while marching in the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps, he worked part time at Monona Bootery.
A location was opened in Sun Prairie in 1975 and Chris Bratz helped get that going. When the manager left after six months, Chris Bratz was left running the store but found he was unprepared at age 19, so Eddie Bratz took over until the store closed in 1981.
Chris Bratz, who had started working full time in 1976, came back to the Monona store.
Once Chris Bratz started working for his dad, there was an adjustment period. Chris Bratz also went through a period of maturing as he changed the direction of his life.
"Patience and understanding and the will to make it succeed," is how his dad described the way the two worked their way through those tough times.
"After 10 years, I finally realized he knew what he was doing," Chris Bratz said.
Eddie Bratz also has a good understanding of his son.
"When he gets an idea, it doesn't just come and go — it sticks," he said.
Chris Bratz said he has learned to be more cautious.
In 1991, Gates sold his interest to Chris Bratz and he is now an equal partner with his father.
The store is run by Eddie and Chris Bratz and one part-time employee, Tina Thomsen.
Tom Kaske, one of the customers Monona Bootery has accommodated over the years by selling a pair of shoes in two different sizes, also works occasionally at the store through a program called Options in Community Living.
Eddie and Chris Bratz make up the store's board and find it can be difficult to find time to discuss various issues during the day. So they may talk them over at Eddie Bratz's house. But when the family gets together socially, they don't feel the need to talk about work.
If they don't come to an agreement over making a change, they don't do it.
"If it doesn't take root, then forget it," Eddie Bratz said.
When Eddie Bratz turned 62, he started cutting back his hours, which are now flexible; some days he doesn't come in at all.
Chris Bratz and his wife, Debra, have a daughter, Kadi, now 28, who worked for the store for a short time before she started having children. They also have a son, Alan, 22, and two grandchildren.
Chris Bratz's niece, Elizabeth Bratz, has worked at Monona Bootery. His grandson, Zacheri Bratz, 8, enjoys helping around the store, which brings up thoughts of a next generation.
Chris Bratz is not eager for his father to retire.
"If anything, there's a fear of when he might leave," Chris Bratz said.
