History

Kennell’s Shoes is proud to be a member of the downtown Kamloops family for over 75 years. The Store was founded in 1948 by Robert Kennell, following the footsteps of his father who was a cobbler in England. Robert worked at Copp’s Shoes in Kamloops for several years before opening Kennell’s Shoes. The store was originally located at 223 Victoria St (now Fratelli Foods), and was moved to its current home at 249 Victoria St in 1958. Robert’s son Bob basically grew up in the store, learning the in’s and out’s of the shoes business. Bob took over the store from is father in 1976, and when he married his wife Rita Cordonier they carried on the tradition of the family business. Bob and Rita ran the store for many years, and their children Beverley and Stephen showed interest in following in their parents footsteps. Beverley started working at the store in 1982, while Stephen took a different path, working as a heavy duty mechanic until 1995. Their father Bob had contracted Polio when he was only 25 and was no longer able to handle the rigours of working on the floor, he continued to do the bookwork for the store while his son Stephen stepped in to help with the in-store workload along side his sister and mother. The family of four continued running the store together until 1998, unfortunately Beverley was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, and as her condition worsened she was unable to continue working at the store. Stephen had less experience in the store but with his mother Rita growing older and needing to spend more time taking care of her husband Bob, he was called upon to take over and keep the family business alive. Stephen ran the store for 22  years and has now taken a page out of his father’s book, continuing to do the bookwork for the store while his daughter Jessica runs the day to day operation. Jessica grew up in the store just like the two generations before her and always knew she wanted to carry on the tradition of the Kennell name. Sadly, Bob and Beverley both passed away in 2016. Jessica is proud to honour them and the rest of her family that paved the way for the last 75 years. Her and her staff continue to serve the loyal customers of Kamloops and hope to do so for decades to come.