MASSENA — With more than 15,000 pairs of shoes, sneakers and boots in stock, the newly opened Shoe Dept. Encore store in the St. Lawrence Centre has staked a claim as the largest shoe store in Northern New York.

St. Lawrence Centre Marketing Manager Ronald J. Patnode said the opening of its Encore store isn’t the first time Shoe Dept. has expanded within the mall.

“This is Shoe Dept.’s second expansion in our center, and we are very excited about it,” he said.

Mr. Patnode said when he saw the store for the first time he was impressed.

“It’s a beautiful store,” he said. “As a shopper when you go in there you can right away pinpoint what you’re looking for.”

That was one of the things that stood out for Anthony Walden, Brushton.

“It’s easy to see everything,” he said. “Sometimes when you have the taller racks, it’s harder to see everything, like your size and such, but everything is right here.”

Mr. Patnode said the new store, located in the former Hackett’s space, is 12,162 square feet.

“They do have a small storage area, but 85 to 90 percent of that is retail space,” he said.

Krista DuWal of Cornwall, Ontario, said she shops regularly in Massena and was unaware that the Shoe Dept. was expanding.

“It’s quite a bit bigger than the other one was,” she said. “It looks really nice.”

Shoe Dept. Regional Manager Bill Hecker said “the feedback from customers has been great.”

In addition to housing more than 15,000 pairs of shoes, the store also includes special men’s and children’s sections, where children and guys can hang out while their mom or significant other shops. A TV hanging on the wall in the children’s section was tuned in to Nick Jr. on Monday with a television in the men’s section tuned in to SportsCenter on ESPN.

Mr. Hecker said the success seen on the store’s opening day has continued.

“We’re up 50 percent each day since we opened on Thursday,” he said. “Business has been fantastic right out of the gate.”

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