A retired mathematics teacher turned shoe salesman has been providing specialised construction and industrial footwear, and is now set to launch a new line.

Everton Dawes, the owner of Casual Footware on Court Street, is now branching out into personal protective equipment, commonly referred to as PPE, worn to minimise exposure to hazards that cause serious workplace injuries and illnesses.

After 30 years as a teaching professional in both private and public schools, Mr Dawes settled into his dream retirement job, running the footwear and clothing store, using suppliers and other contacts he developed over the years.

In an interview with The Royal Gazette, he discussed his entrepreneurial journey in retail, its unusual origins, and some of the difficulties he has experienced along the way.

He said Casual Footware is a “destination” store for a number of companies and individuals who buy specialised footwear for their businesses, and much of the business includes custom orders.

He said: “People come and go pretty quickly, because they know what they want and this is the only place they can get it.”

He said: “I find my customer base is consistent, because I have contracts with different companies and they send their workers to get their shoes here.”

Mr Dawes said because of his costs, he has to turn around sales as quickly as possible for cashflow purposes.

He said: “I have corporate customers who pre-order items. I have a shipment coming in next week. A portion of that is already pre-sold, so that keeps me afloat.”

He said it helps with his upfront costs. Looking to the future, he is now adding to the business.

He said: “I want to go into the PPE for construction workers, for people who are in industry, and also distribute products for chefs.

He said: “We do sell chef shoes. So I said (to my supplier) ‘I’m just going to add the chef clothing as well — the jackets, the pants, the vests, aprons and so on’.

“It’s just a matter of trying to be a one-stop shop. So we are adding the socks, gloves for construction and the eyewear.

“Some of the companies we represent, like Redwing, they carry the full line of protective gear and I have a source to bring in all of the equipment.

“So that’s a part of it, but we started out as mainly a shoe store with Birkenstock as our brand. But now we have 16 brands. And we also do special orders for special needs.”