Finn Footwear Celebrates 50 Years in Business | The Story Behind the Success |

Finn Footwear, a second-generation family-owned footwear business is delighted to celebrate its significant milestone 50^th birthday with a host of massive giveaways, online competitions, and in-store promotions. Co located on the Main Streets in the towns of Ballyhaunis and Kiltimagh, the business was founded in 1975 by Tom & Christina Finn. This dynamic husband and wife team have successfully served the people of Ballyhaunis and its surrounding hinterland for 5 decades with an extensive selection of top-quality high-street footwear brands. True to the Finn family name,  2^nd Generation owners and brothers Austin and Paul Finn have worked in the business since their early teens. Finn Footwear has much to brag about and celebrate on its 50^th anniversary. 50 years in business marks a significant milestone providing the perfect occasion for the Finn family to pay tribute to a thriving 2^nd generation family owned and managed footwear business.

“It was always a personal ambition of mine to open up my own business,” states Tom Finn. “Having served my time working in retail drapery, footwear and the entertainment business for the  McGarry family in Ballyhaunis for nearly 23 years,  I had nurtured a lot of business contacts and established a personal reputation based on trust and hard work”.

“While many retail businesses in Ballyhaunis were selling footwear in the early 1970’s none of them were selling footwear exclusively” continues Tom. “That was the ‘sweet spot’ I wanted to exploit, and I had the gravitas and business acumen to achieve it. So after much deliberation and a giant leap of faith, I took the ‘bull by the horns’ and with the support of my good lady wife Christina we went for it” concludes an excited Tom. Finn Footwear officially opened its doors in Ballyhaunis on Friday October 10^th, 1975.

 “I remember the day well”  recalls Tom as he reflects upon opening day in Ballyhaunis. “The goodwill was infectious! Several neighbours and friends came into the shop that day to congratulate us and even left a few pound notes for the till! I smile now as I recall the voice of one of those loyal supporters “I don’t need shoes today Tom, but I’ll be back later in the week. The best of luck to you”. Tom always felt that footwear should be a specialist shop run by experienced people who are trained to measure feet and fit footwear. Tom continues “You only have one pair of feet so you need to look after them”.

The addition of a second retail shop in Kiltimagh in July 1991, coupled with the increased demands associated with running two shops 6 days a week, laid the foundation for Tom & Christina’s two sons, Austin, and Paul to join the business fulltime. Collectively the Finn Family pride themselves on having a family member onsite 6 days a week delivering a high level of personalised service to customers.

“This is a significant point of difference for us over bigger retailers” states Austin. “I’m in Kiltimagh fulltime and Paul is in Ballyhaunis, so there will always be a member of the Finn Family onsite every day to serve our customers,” concludes Austin.

The evolution of retail and the onsite of the Covid Pandemic brought with it many challenges but also an opportunity to expand the online side of the business.

“We were closed for nearly 6 months” recalls Austin, “it was a very stressful time for small businesses everywhere especially retail.” The online side of the business grow exponentially during that time allowing the brothers to build online relationships with customers in a way they had not previously exploited.  The many Facebook videos of Ausin and Paul were a huge hit with customers.

“We really nurtured our online presence during that time. We were compared to the two Johnnies, and Laurel and Hardy to mention but a few” laughs Paul. “But it worked, and it really helped Austin and I to showcase the face of our business, who we were and what we were about.  A dynamic website, subscription-based email marketing, social media, and our frequent blog posts all play a part in keeping us relevant to a growing online customer base” concludes Paul.

The 50^th anniversary milestone continues this month with a number of customers winning  a host of spot prizes from key major brands through online and in store promotions and competitions.

“Customers want choice, and they want an extensive selection, and we have to ensure that we provide it” states Austin and Paul. “Over the past 50 years we have built up an impressive range of signature brands including ECCO, Reiker, Skechers, Columbia, Brooks, Tamaris and Ricosta for children. Donna Serena and Pepe Menargues are recent additions while we are really excited to add the premium brand Gabor into our collection for Spring Summer 2026”.

“We are delighted with our achievements to date and want to thank all our customers for their continued loyalty and support as we look forward to celebrating our continued success in the coming years” states Tom. Customers can keep up to date with the latest Finn Footwear news and promotions by visiting www.finnfootwear.com and via social media including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Contact

Austin and Paul Finn

Ballyhaunis & Kiltimagh Co. Mayo

T: 094 96 30141/094 93 81970

Email: finnfootwear@gmail.com