About 25 years ago, Michael Friedland joined his father, Harvey, at his shoe business. Last summer, his son joined the team, keeping the family tradition alive.

Harve’s Shoe Box started on Purchase Street in New Bedford back in 1951 before relocating to its current location on 98 State Road about a decade later. In the early days, the store focused on women’s fashion wear. When Michael was in grade school, he did odd jobs for his father around the store.

After graduating from UMass Amherst with a degree in hospitality and tourism, Michael worked elsewhere before rejoining the team at his father’s shop in the early ‘90s.

“It’s been great for me. There’s no other way to describe it,” said Michael. “I had the opportunity to work with my father, which I never would have had. Sometimes fathers and sons work together and it doesn’t always work well, but it worked well for us.”

It was around that time that the store slowly shifted in a new direction. Gone was the era of focusing on women’s fashion wear. The store incorporated more men’s and children’s shoes, and Michael had returned to school to become a certified pedorthist.

“Pedorthists have been formally trained in modification of footwear,” he said. “We’ve been trained in the foot structure, foot abnormality and how to solve some of the problems associated with the foot.”

Rather than giving customers limited options with an orthopedic shoe or an insert, pedorthists physically alter a shoe to custom fit the client’s needs. This could involve creating a mold or making alterations to the sole. Customers aren’t necessarily limited to a specific type of shoe, either. Pedorthists can alter sneakers or dress shoes.

The basement of Friedland’s store is lined with rows and rows of inventory as one might expect, but the space also includes a work area for the shop’s pedorthists. Michael said that particular segment of the business grew modestly throughout the years until about 10 year ago when it started to take off.

Before that time, however, the shop lost its founder. Following Harvey Friedland’s death in 1999, Michael took over the business.

“I learned a lot from my father. My father was a great merchandiser and people person,” said Michael. “It was a different business then. We went on buying trips to Manhattan, Las Vegas, Chicago, wherever the national trade show was. I learned how to work a trade show, work with our vendors. It was a great education for me.”

This past summer, his 22-year-old son, Steven, joined the business and is currently learning about pedorthics on location.

“It’s pretty challenging,” said Steven. “You have to know a lot more. You have to know about the foot and certain conditions and how to comfort them.”

Michael said that, when he was his son’s age, he was heading in a different direction from Harve’s Shoe Store, so he understands if Steven opts for a different path. Steven said the store was currently his “top option” and plans to continue learning his father’s craft.

Outside of the custom pediatric work, Michael said a key to keeping the business successful for more than 50 years has been the store’s focus on customer service. Clients have their foot measured and are assisted by employees – a service shoppers won’t experience while browsing for shoes on Amazon.

The shift from women’s fashion wear to comfortable footwear was part of the strategy, too.

“The business climate dictated that we change,” said Michael. “You look around, there aren’t a whole lot of independent shoe retailers anymore. That customer has gone to the mall. We had to change what we do to be relevant now – and we are.”