Murrells Shoes, Casterton

This shoe shop in Casterton tells an interesting story of retail in a small western Victoria town. Casterton was founded in the 1840s as a crossing to the Glenelg River and many of the buildings in the main street date from the nineteenth century.

But in the 1930s, they built a new town hall in moderne style and Williams the Shoeman followed suit. According to the current owner, around 1940, the shoe company purchased half of a double fronted shop dating from the early 20th century and built this shop with a panel of glass bricks, just like the town hall across the road, above the verandah. At the time, they would have been the two most modern buildings in the street and Williams would no doubt have promoted his business as such.

Since 1996, the shop has been owned and run by Brian and Vicki Murrell who run the business under the name Murrells Shoes and from my conversation today, they are proud of their Art Deco shop and its place in Casterton.

References:
www.theage.com.au, Casterton article, 8 Feb 2004
Casterton website, Murrell's Shoe Store, featured trader