After 92 years, the Spark family have made the decision to close our business.

Thank you so much for your support.

Jaythene & Marion x

Hello and Welcome to Sparks Shoes.

We are a family owned and operated footwear retail store established in Beecroft in 1931 – part of Sydney’s “Hills District” in the North West.

Originally Ned Spark purchased an existing Shoe Repairers shop in 1931 and successfully taught his son, Harold, the boot making trade. Harold continued to run the shop after Ned passed and in turn taught his youngest brother, Keith, the boot making trade.

In 1962, Keith and his wife, Patricia, purchased the business from Harold and continued boot making and repairing, eventually turning the shop into a retail shoe store before passing on the company to their daughter, Marion.

Sparks Shoes is currently owned and run by Marion, 3rd generation Spark, and her daughter Jaythene. You can often find 3 little girls, part of the 5th generation, in store “helping” their mother and grandmother too!​

Footwear is not just our business, it’s our passion! As independent operators, we go to great lengths to ensure that the product we find and purchase is of high quality and exactly what our customer is looking for. With this in mind, we look for brands that may not be found everywhere.

Sparks Shoes are accredited Clark’s Platinum Children’s Fitting Specialists and the original Clark’s Fitting Specialists in Australia! We stock the largest range of Clark’s sizes and fittings anywhere in Sydney. We believe that correctly fitted footwear every time is paramount for the well being of young feet now and into their future.

Having been in footwear for over 90 years, we have fitted second, third and even fourth generations of customer families! We feel this is a great honour and privilege that you have trusted us for so many years taking care of your feet and footwear needs, and we thank you for your trust in our experience and expertise.

We are owned by a family, run by a family for your family. We look forward to meeting you in store.

Sincerely

Marion & Jaythene

4 August 2023

With mixed emotions Mum (aka Marion) and I share the news that we have decided to close our store.

After 92 years and four generations of the Spark family owning and running the store in its original location in Beecroft, we are ready to hang up our boots and put our family first.

Retail is seven days a week, and to offer you the best customer service, Mum and I have dedicated ourselves to being here every Saturday and Sunday, a commitment that has spanned more years than we can count.

We understand this news might catch you off guard; we have explored avenues and deliberated extensively before arriving at this decision. You, our customer, and your support have been the driving force behind our success. But as the saying goes, every journey must eventually find its destination.

As the oldest business in Beecroft, we have witnessed many changes in The Village. Our building is not affected by our neighbour’s developments in the next 12-18 months; closing is our decision so we can have time with our family – we are putting them first.

As always, when closing a store, we need to sell everything (including the fixtures and fittings!), and this is the best time for you to get the bargain of a lifetime. ALL our stock is reduced both in-store and online.

We’ll stay in touch through email, keep you updated on special closing offers, and bid you a final farewell as we approach the closing date.

If your children have fitting cards, we encourage you to visit us and collect these valuable memories. Regrettably, due to the sheer volume (over 7,000 families!), mailing them isn’t feasible, and they will be disposed of at the end.

Thank you for being so supportive over the years. Meeting and assisting you and your family has been a privilege, and the connections we’ve made will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Our amazing staff over the years have supported Mum and I incredibly. We will miss them like crazy but know we will remain friends with them – they have become our extended family.

Our last day open will be Saturday, 30 September. We invite you to visit us before then and encourage you to take photos on our iconic Train Fitting platform.

Thank you for being a part of our incredible journey. Your support has meant everything.

Jaythene + Marion, Elise, Julie, Danette & Rosey

30 October 2023

The past four weeks since closing have been super busy, and we’re only just getting some time off!

We want to say a very special thank you to you for all your support over the 92 years. Assisting you has been our absolute pleasure, and we are grateful for all the friendships we have made along the way.

Since announcing our closing back in August, Mum (aka Marion) and I have been overwhelmed with flowers, chocolates, bubbles, cards and well wishes! Your understanding and support have meant the world to us and are a reminder of the beautiful community we have been so fortunate to be part of. We knew our decision would leave a big hole in the footwear industry and the local community, and we are deeply grateful that you support us in putting our family first.

Over the past month, we have stripped our shop bare, but have given away most of our fittings to those in need.

Our iconic Train Engine has found a new home in our home alongside the Fire Engine from our North Rocks store. 
The carriages, along with the station masters and switch (height chart), have been sent to Beecroft Buddies Long Daycare, where they will continue to bring joy to little ones.

The lounges and chairs have all been donated to Northmead Creative & Performing Arts High School. It’s a gesture we hope will enhance the learning environment for students at this deserving lower socio-economic school that needs upgrades.

Our remaining stock has been donated to the Parish of St Joseph Moorebank, where the Somascan Brothers have pledged to assist the orphans overseas where those with little to nothing will benefit. 

WHERE TO SHOP
For those wondering where to turn to for your footwear needs, we’d like to recommend some independent, family-owned footwear stores that we will be supporting:-
 
KIDS
Forbes Footwear in Hornsby: your go-to for school shoes and toddler’s first shoes.
Ciciban Kids Shoes in Carlton (European quality kids’ supportive footwear, NDIS approved)
Shoe Talk in Camden & Tahmoor
The Shoe Merchant in Moss Vale & Bowral (Plae, Bobux, Salt Water)
Future Steps for Kids in Wollongong (European imports)
Little Big Feet in Corinda QLD
Ollie Ashenden in Adelaide SA
Peter Oram Shoes in Frankston VIC
 
WOMENS
Forbes Footwear in Hornsby (Orthotics and hard-to-fit feet)
Greens Footwear in Cronulla (Frankie4 and fashion footwear)
Zagarra in Leichhardt, Chatswood, Pitt Street (Rollie, Birkenstock)
Foot of the Mountains in Glenbrook (Rollie and fashion footwear)
Blackheath Family Shoes in Blackheath (European Imports: Josef Seibel, Rieker, Remonte, Sioux, Ecco)
The Shoe Merchant Moss Vale & Bowral (Frankie4, Birkenstock, European Imports)
Bowral Comfort Footwear Bowral (European Imports)
Davies Shoes in Mayfield (European Imports)
Hunter Shoes in Springwood (Taos, Josef Seibel, ESO)
Easy Living Footwear in Bathurst, Tamworth, Newcastle
Evans Shoes in Echuca, Bendigo, Shepparton, Wangaratta, Wagga Wagga, Albury

Our journey has been made even more special by the incredible people who have been part of it. Julie, Elise, Danette and Rosey – our work family – have stood by us during this closing-down process. Over the years, we’ve become a close-knit work family, and saying goodbye to them has been the most difficult part of this journey. We know we will remain friends with them well after the doors have closed.

OUR NEXT CHAPTER
Mum will finally have the chance to rest and recover after working 7 days a week for most of her adult life. She really deserves this break and intends to spend more time with Dad (aka Russell) and her 3 granddaughters heading out on outback adventures! Mum also plans to complete an ethics course and volunteer at our local primary school.

As for me, I’m looking forward to spending some time with my family, a luxury we’ve never had before. Misses 14, 12 and 8 are excited to have me around more! I plan on enrolling at TAFE in the new year to become a teacher aide in primary schools, allowing me to be there for my family. Dad and I are active members of Beecroft Rotary, so you can always visit me at the Preloved Bookshop in Beecroft above Woolworths when I’m rostered on!

NEW BEGINNINGS
We are delighted to announce that Steve from Beecroft Physiotherapy and his dedicated team will move into our store shortly! Steve plans to open in his new location next year, ensuring that the community spirit and care continue to thrive in our old space.

This is not a final farewell but a “see you soon.” We are deeply grateful for the years of shared memories and support. We look forward to crossing paths with you in our new journeys.
 
With love and best wishes

Jaythene & Marion