Atlanta’s shoe retail market reflects the city’s diverse consumer base and its status as a major fashion, entertainment, and sports hub in the Southeast. The metro area supports a wide range of shoe retailers from independent neighborhood specialists to national chain flagships, with particular strength in the athletic, luxury, and extended-size specialty segments. Little Five Points has historically been Atlanta’s center for independent and alternative footwear retail, hosting multiple long-operating stores that have served the city’s creative community for decades. Buckhead provides access to designer shoe brands including Jimmy Choo and Gucci in the Buckhead Village District and major department store shoe departments at Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus in Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza. Atlanta’s large professional athletic and entertainment community also sustains a specialty market for extended and wide-width footwear that has made the city a national destination for athletes requiring sizes that mainstream retailers do not stock. The city’s strong sneaker culture, driven by its proximity to major sports franchises and entertainment industry, supports dedicated sneaker retail from boutique shops to the Nike flagship experience at Lenox Square.
When selecting a shoe store in Atlanta, look for retailers with staff who can conduct proper foot measurements and width assessments rather than relying solely on your stated size, as significant percentages of adults wear the wrong width. Reputable shoe retailers maintain adequate inventory depth across sizes rather than stocking only the most common sizes in desirable styles, and should be able to tell you honestly when a particular style does not run true to size. Red flags include stores that cannot provide information about the specific materials in the shoes they sell, that pressure you toward styles outside your stated needs, or that sell footwear past its structural integrity without disclosing wear patterns or defects. For athletic footwear specifically, stores with gait analysis capabilities or staff trained in biomechanics consultation add meaningful value beyond simple style selection. Atlanta’s warm climate means year-round sandal, open-toe, and breathable athletic footwear demand, making proper fit across seasonal styles more important than in markets with pronounced seasonal swings.
Top Shoe Store Companies in Atlanta
1. Friedman’s Shoes
Founded: 1929
Address: 209 Mitchell Street SW, Atlanta, GA 30303
Phone: (404) 524-1311
Website: https://www.largefeet.com
Hours: Monday – Saturday 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Services:
- Extended size shoes for men and women (sizes 7 through 22)
- Handmade leather shoes from Italy
- Exotic leather footwear including alligator, ostrich, lizard, and snake skin
- Custom fit consultation
- Online extended-size retail through LargeFeet.com
About: Friedman’s Shoes is a near-century-old Atlanta institution founded in 1929 by Phil Friedman, originally operating as a shoe repair business before evolving into one of the country’s most recognized specialty shoe retailers for extended sizes. The store’s reputation for serving professional athletes with large feet, from Spud Webb’s size 7 to Shaquille O’Neal’s size 22, earned it national media recognition across CNN, TNT, CBS, NBC, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary series as the place professional athletes shop. Family ownership across multiple generations, with Bruce Teilhaber acquiring the store in the 1970s and all four of his sons subsequently joining the business, has maintained the institutional knowledge and craft relationships that allow Friedman’s to source Italian-made shoes in extended sizes that most retailers cannot procure. The store’s Mitchell Street location in South Downtown Atlanta has anchored the brand’s physical presence while the LargeFeet.com website expands its reach nationally.
2. Abbadabba’s – Little Five Points
Founded: 1981
Address: 421-B Moreland Avenue NE, Atlanta, GA 30307
Phone: (404) 588-9577
Website: https://www.coolshoes.com
Hours: Monday – Saturday 10:00 AM – 7:30 PM, Sunday 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Services:
- Innovative comfort footwear for men and women
- Brands including Birkenstock, Dansko, Merrell, UGG, and Vibram Five Fingers
- Sandals, casual, athletic, and outdoor footwear
- In-store and curbside pickup
- Inclusive, LGBTQ+ friendly shopping environment
About: Abbadabba’s has been part of Little Five Points since 1981, beginning as a flea market-style store with a small shoe section in the back before pivoting to a full shoe retail focus in 1986 when the founder left a corporate career with Georgia-Pacific to dedicate the business entirely to footwear. The store’s self-described identity as Atlanta’s premier source for innovative comfort footwear positions it at the intersection of functional design and fashion-forward aesthetics, carrying progressive brands before they achieve mainstream retail penetration. Three Atlanta-area locations, including a Buckhead location at 4389 Roswell Road and an East Cobb location in Marietta, extend the brand’s reach beyond the Little Five Points original while maintaining the distinctive community character that made the store a neighborhood institution. Women-owned and LGBTQ+ friendly designations reflect a retail philosophy that matches the inclusive community character of Little Five Points itself.
3. Abbadabba’s – Buckhead
Address: 4389 Roswell Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30342
Phone: (404) 262-3356
Website: https://www.coolshoes.com
Hours: Monday – Saturday 10:00 AM – 7:30 PM, Sunday 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Services:
- Comfort and fashion footwear for men and women
- Brands including Birkenstock, Dansko, Keen, Teva, and Chaco
- Casual, outdoor, and wellness-oriented footwear
- In-store and curbside pickup
About: Abbadabba’s Buckhead location on Roswell Road extends the brand’s forty-plus year comfort footwear expertise into Atlanta’s most affluent shopping corridor, serving a clientele that values quality and functionality alongside aesthetic consideration. The Buckhead store carries the same brand philosophy and product commitment as the founding Little Five Points location, prioritizing innovative comfort design from brands at the leading edge of footwear technology and ergonomics. The Roswell Road address provides convenient access from both Buckhead’s dense residential areas and the Sandy Springs and Dunwoody suburban corridors to the north, expanding the customer reach of the brand’s comfort footwear specialty. Multiple Atlanta-area locations allow Abbadabba’s to coordinate inventory and honor store credits across locations, providing operational flexibility for customers who shop across different parts of the metro area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Where can I find extended shoe sizes in Atlanta?
A: Friedman’s Shoes on Mitchell Street in South Downtown Atlanta is the premier destination for extended shoe sizes in the Atlanta market, stocking men’s sizes from 7 through 22 and carrying exotic leather and Italian-made options in extended sizes unavailable at general retailers. The store has served professional athletes from the Atlanta Hawks, Braves, and Falcons organizations for decades and ships nationally through LargeFeet.com for customers outside the metro area. Nordstrom at Lenox Square also stocks a wider size range than average department stores, though not reaching the extremes available at Friedman’s. For extended width options in comfort footwear, Abbadabba’s knowledgeable staff can assist with brand selection and width guidance within their Birkenstock, Dansko, and New Balance inventory.
Q: What are typical shoe prices at Atlanta’s independent shoe stores?
A: Comfort and lifestyle footwear at Abbadabba’s runs from approximately $50 to $200 for Birkenstocks, Danskos, and similar brands, with outdoor-oriented brands like Keen and Chaco priced $80 to $160. Extended-size specialty footwear at Friedman’s ranges from $100 to $500 depending on the leather type and construction, with exotic leather and custom options reaching significantly higher price points. Luxury designer shoes at Buckhead Village District boutiques including Jimmy Choo start around $400 and commonly reach $800 to $1,200 for statement styles. Athletic footwear at specialty running stores like Fleet Feet in Atlanta runs $100 to $250 for performance models, with premium racing and trail shoes at the higher end of that range.
Q: What should I look for when buying shoes for long days of walking in Atlanta?
A: For Atlanta’s urban walking environment including the Beltline trail system, Piedmont Park, and the city’s increasingly walkable neighborhoods, prioritize shoes with adequate cushioning, arch support appropriate to your foot type, and breathable uppers that manage Atlanta’s heat and humidity. Abbadabba’s staff at both the Little Five Points and Buckhead locations are specifically trained in helping customers identify comfort footwear that meets these criteria, with brands like Merrell, Dansko, and Birkenstock engineered specifically for extended wear without the foot fatigue that fashion-focused shoes often produce after several hours. A proper fit assessment including length, width, and arch height should accompany any significant walking shoe purchase, and reputable Atlanta shoe retailers will provide this rather than relying solely on your stated size preference.
Conclusion
Atlanta’s shoe retail market serves diverse needs across extended sizing, comfort-focused lifestyle footwear, and specialty performance categories, with Friedman’s Shoes delivering nearly a century of expertise in extended and exotic-leather footwear from its Mitchell Street location and Abbadabba’s two Atlanta locations in Little Five Points and Buckhead bringing forty-plus years of comfort footwear expertise and brand curation. Each of these independent Atlanta shoe retailers brings community longevity, genuine product expertise, and customer relationships that national chain competitors cannot match at the neighborhood level. Contacting or visiting any of these stores directly will connect you with staff equipped to guide footwear selection based on your specific needs rather than inventory availability or sales incentives.