Grandfather Jan Steenbergen once started by picking up shoes for repair directly from customers’ homes. After fixing them, he tied the shoes to his bicycle handlebars using the shoelaces and personally delivered them back.
“That’s how it all started so many years ago,” says grandson Jurgen Steenbergen of Steenbergen Schoenen in Rijssen. “But the circle has come full turn: today, thanks to our webshop, the postal service delivers the shoes back to the customer’s home. You could call it old-fashioned, wrapped in a digital jacket.”

The Beginning

Jan began his shoe journey in 1946 with repairs, after earning his shoe repair diploma in 1942. He collected shoes from customers, repaired them, and delivered them back to their homes by bicycle. Over time, Jan decided to start selling shoes as well. This led to the purchase of the building at Haarstraat 54 in 1957, where we are still located today. At that time, men’s and children’s shoes were sold there. In 1970, son Jan Jr. joined the business and the store was renovated. Sadly, Jan Sr. passed away in 1971 at the age of just 51.

The Sons

Following the passing of his father, Wim also began working in the store. He became responsible for sales, while his brother Jan took care of the repairs. In 1981, the assortment was expanded to include women’s shoes, and the store underwent a complete transformation. Sadly, brother Jan passed away in 1997, leaving Wim solely responsible for both the store and the repair services. Soon after, Wim’s son Jurgen joined the business, later followed by his other son Jan and daughter Madeleine.

Innovations and the Third Generation

In 2011, the assortment was expanded with the launch of our own webshop. Today, Jan, Jurgen, and Madeleine are jointly responsible for the day-to-day management of the store.

What started small with only shoe repairs in 1946 has, over the years, grown into a trusted name in both the online and offline shoe world.

“Every week, people come into the store who already visited us as children. Those children now have children of their own. And there are even grandparents who came here as kids and now bring their grandchildren. Isn’t that amazing? That’s what we truly enjoy.”