After the passing of Walter Afanasiev, Master Shoemaker and sole proprietor of Afana Ltd., the family spent three years trying to keep the shop going, but was forced to close their doors due to the lack of Master Shoemakers. This old-world art form had met its demise, or that is what was thought to be.
The Winnipeg Free Press was contacted in vein with a last attempt to secure a Master Shoemaker. They published an article on the rich history and story of the shoe shop, but to no avail.
Then as fate would have it, five months after the newspaper article, and the shoe shops last day of business, Pouliot Laboratories in Quebec contacted the family. Pouliot Laboratories…another family business had seen the article and informed us of their rich history of manufacturing Custom Made Orthopedic Footwear.
After the initial exhilaration and relief of both families, the two companies merged under Afana Pouliot, continuing this superior craftsmanship and tradition into the next generation for another 60 years to come.
