Mayo family business celebrates golden anniversary
Finn Footwear, a second-generation family-owned footwear business, is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a host of massive giveaways, online competitions, and in-store promotions.
With outlets on Main Street Ballyhaunis and Kiltimagh, the business was founded in 1975 by Tom and Christina Finn.
This dynamic husband and wife team have successfully served the people of Ballyhaunis and its surrounding hinterland for five decades with an extensive selection of top-quality high-street footwear brands.
True to the Finn family name, second generation owners and brothers Austin and Paul Finn have worked in the business since their early teens.
Fifty years in business marks a significant milestone providing the perfect occasion for the Finn family to pay tribute to a thriving second generation family owned and managed footwear business.
“It was always a personal ambition of mine to open up my own business,” stated 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
“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.”
Finn Footwear officially opened its doors in Ballyhaunis on Friday October 10, 1975.
“I remember the day well,” recalls Tom .
“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 proclaiming: “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.
"You only have one pair of feet so you need to look after them,” he stated.
The addition of a second retail shop in Kiltimagh in July 1991, coupled with the increased demands associated with running two shops six days a week, laid the foundation for Tom and Christina’s two sons, Austin, and Paul to join the business full-time.
Collectively the Finn family pride themselves on having a family member on site six 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 on site every day to serve our customers."
The evolution of retail and the onset 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 six months,” recalled 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 Austin 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,” joked 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," added Paul.
The 50th 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” stated 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,” said 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.