by Kent Jennings Brockwell
Staff Writer
For the past 31 years, Deatry Lang Sr. has watched the ebb and flow of downtown Jacksonville from his store’s front window. As co-owner of Deatry and Son’s Shoes, Lang is as much a part of downtown as the Landing or the Bank of America Tower.
Looking out the window over numerous boxes of new leather shoes, Lang has seen downtown at its best and at its worse.
“I have seen the peak and I have seen the bottom,” he said, “and now I hope that I can see it rise again, but that will take a lot of years.”
In the 1970s, Lang’s first store occupied a storefront on the block where the Bank of America Tower now stands. Lang said he remembers that era as the peak of downtown as a shopping district.
“In the 1970s, this was the hub for shopping,” he said. “Then the shopping centers took over in the suburbs. That’s when downtown became a ghost town.”
When the Bank of America Tower was built, Lang was forced to move his store to the Hemming Plaza area. Though many businesses abandoned downtown, Lang opened three businesses on the same block near Hemming Plaza: Deatry and Son’s Shoes, Deatry’s Fashions and Black Cat.
At that time, the bus stops at Hemming Plaza kept Lang’s businesses alive, providing him with most of his customers. When the City moved the bus stops out of Hemming Plaza, Lang’s businesses, and all of the other shops in the area started to fail.
“Everyone down there was doing bad but they felt comfortable because people from the buses were there,” he said. “When they moved all of the bus stops, our business dropped over 60 percent. After that, everyone went from 100 percent to 30 or 40 percent.”
After the bus riding customers left the area, many establishments went out of business, but not Lang’s. Though he admits he wanted to close many times and just walk away, he never did. Lang said some weeks he would work 60 or more hours and still couldn’t pay himself a salary.
Things gradually improved when City Hall relocated to Hemming Plaza.
“When City Hall moved into the new location, downtown became viable again,” he said.
When the City decided to build the new Main Library across from Hemming Plaza, construction forced Lang. to move again, this time to his current location on West Adams Street.
Just before moving his business for the second time, Lang had to make another big change: taking a break.
About five years ago, Lang had to pass his management duties down to his son, Deatry Lang Jr., who has filled his father’s well-worn shoes since Lang Sr. underwent a string of serious surgeries, including an open heart surgery and several bypass operations.
Since Lang Jr. has watched his father run the business since the day he was born, he said that he is ready to continue carrying on the family business.
“I learned a lot from him,” said Lang Jr. “He taught me the basics of the business.”
Most importantly, Lang Jr. said his father taught him how to run a business when times are tough.
“I try to keep the stress (from the business) away from him,” he said, “but from time to time I do ask him questions being that he has been in the industry for over 40 years.”
Now that he isn’t involved in the day-to-day operations of the company, Lang Sr. said he is taking it easier these days. Sometimes he fills in at the store when his son needs a day or two off, but mainly he said he volunteers for the Super Bowl Host Committee and serves as a business advisor for his son.
As for the future of downtown, Lang Sr. said he is glad the area is growing and becoming popular again. He said the key to downtown’s revival is bringing in more retailers and more people.
“We need more businesses,” he said. “The restaurants are nice to have, and we have got them, but we need some more retailers downtown now. They were all here once upon a time.”
Though Lang Sr. thinks the Super Bowl will help downtown growth, he said it will only be a short term burst. He said what the city does afterwards will be a key component for the future.
“The Super Bowl is only going to be here a week,” he said. “But by that time, people will have come downtown to visit and will see the potential here.”
As for the future of the business, Lang Sr. said he is looking forward to seeing what his son does with the store.
“Now, because my son runs it, there is no limit to where he wants to take it,” said Lang Sr.
“For success, it takes time.”