If The SHOE Fits: Reuter's Pedorthics
By KIM GRONNIGER | Photos by BRIAN PETERS
Reuter’s Pedorthics & Shoe Services’ history dates back nearly 150 years to 1880, when it opened downtown next to a brothel and a livery stable. As the state’s first shoe repair store, Reuter’s catered to customers in the capital city’s “first one-stop shopping mall,” said owner Rhonda Jensen.
Before moving back to Topeka and purchasing Reuter’s to be closer to their aging parents, Rhonda and her now ex-husband Bruce Jensen owned three western stores in Houston, Texas. Rhonda created leather apparel and Bruce repaired shoes and cowboy boots, transferable skills that have served them well with their clientele.
The Jensens bought the business together in 1984 and have expanded ownership to include their son Nick and his wife, Brandy.
“We acquired the Reuter’s name and a lot of family pictures for a dollar, a nice dinner at The Loft restaurant and a promise to keep a good reputation,” Rhonda said.
True to their word, they continue to help customers seeking care and comfort for a medical condition or new soles to preserve the life of a beloved pair of shoes.
“We’re definitely committed to function over fashion here,” Rhonda said. “Sometimes fashionistas come in looking for something cute to complement an outfit, but our priority is mostly helping someone with bunions or hammertoes find something suitable.
STAYING A STEP AHEAD
With the passage of the Medicare Therapeutic Shoe Bill in 1993, Rhonda and Bruce, who has type 1 diabetes, became certified in pedorthics to work with diabetics in need of specialized footwear. Pedorthics, a Latin word combining foot (ped) and straight (ortho), is the use of footwear to manage and treat conditions of the foot, ankle and lower extremities and began in the 1950s with the outbreak of polio.
“There are only about 2,300 people certified in this field in the country and we have three in our store,” Rhonda said, referencing the couple and Nick.
The store is an ABC-accredited facility and the three Jensens are ABC-certified pedorthists, a mid-level certification for health care professionals.
Although many strides have been made in diabetic care, Rhonda said the disease can still have profound effects on feet, which account for a large percentage of their business.
Rhonda said there are 26 bones in the foot — 28 if you count the tibia and fibula — as well as 33 joints and more than 100 muscles, ligaments and tendons all operating in a triplane motion.
“Shoes matter,” she said. “Having comfortable, sturdy footwear is essential for balance and agility, especially as people age.”
The Jensens work with a variety of health care providers — endocrinologists, family medicine physicians, orthopedic surgeons, chiropractors and physical therapists — to help customers compensate for a variety of conditions affecting people of all ages. In addition to diabetic complications, common ailments the Jensens see include plantar fasciitis, sciatica, arthritis and flat feet.
They also work with Colmery-O’Neil Veterans’ Administration Medical Center patients whose feet have been affected by exposure to Agent Orange.
Describing Nick as a “Forrest Gump baby,” Rhonda said he was placed in casts at 4 months old and learned to walk in them to correct an alignment issue.
“Nick and Bruce have both lived through medical situations that we can help other people solve,” Rhonda said. “Nick got new casts every three weeks to correct the external rotation of his femur. At 6 or 7, he was telling people in the store that their naviculars were out of alignment.”
PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER
Reuter’s is open during regular retail hours for shoe repair needs and casual browsing for Brooks sneakers and Birkenstocks. Customers requiring medically necessary solutions make 30-minute appointments. Rhonda said it’s not uncommon for her and Nick to meet with 35 people over a two-day period.
“Our assessments begin as soon as we see them get out of the car,” she said. “We can sometimes tell what’s happening with their feet before they even get to a chair inside.”
In addition to analyzing their gait, Rhonda and Nick examine the bottoms of their shoes and insoles, assess their balance and ask about recent falls. All the information collected is considered and then crafted into a customized plan, which Rhonda said usually costs $500 or less, including the price of a new pair of shoes.
“Most of our clients can’t wear over-the-counter shoes,” Rhonda said. “They need fillers to accommodate amputated toes or calluses on the bottom of the foot. It’s like putting a puzzle together every time.”
For many customers, the time and money are well spent.
“I took care of a woman with arthritis who came in with her granddaughters,” Nick said. “Once I got her in the correct shoes, she started running around the store. Her granddaughters were so excited to see that. Those reactions are just the best.”
He recently created a 7-inch elevation to assist a woman missing a hip so she could walk upright again. On another occasion, he made a 24-inch by 17-inch shoe model.
“Usually, I use a sheet of paper to trace a foot, but I needed to use part of a cardboard box for this one,” Nick said. “The guy cried because he was so happy. He’d never had shoes that fit him before.”
Nick makes all the orthotics, elevations and orthopedic modifications himself, often using a 3D printer at an adjacent in-house lab behind the building. The Jensens work with 10 different vendors to provide therapeutic devices and shoes, including Dr. Comfort, a Wisconsin company Rhonda has consulted with.
“My job is to fill the gap between the foot and the ground and keep people walking normally and their feet strong,” Nick said. “I love figuring things out for people.”
HITTING THEIR STRIDE
Nick has provided counsel and customized solutions for athletes of all skill levels, from high school students to high-level professional athletes.
“I can assess someone’s alignment and athletic skills and help reduce the probability of ankle injuries with the right support,” Nick said. “I can make them 7% faster just by making sure they have the right footwear.”
He has the results to prove it. Nick’s nephew, Jackson Bo Jensen, has earned a Mr. Olympia title and at 14, holds the most youth records in world powerlifting history.
“Athletic performance is all about body dynamics,” Nick said. “Your ankles, knees and hips must be in alignment. Even something as simple as lacing your shoes correctly can have an impact.”
REINVENTING THE FAMILY BUSINESS
Buying a business that had already celebrated a century of service has meant a decades-long dedication to adapting to new developments in technology, medical treatment and consumer habits.
Repair requests, once a robust part of Reuter’s business, have declined over time, but Rhonda said loyal clients still come to the store to replace soles and heels and preserve designer purses they aren’t ready to part with.
“We’ve become a disposable society,” she said, “but we still have customers from all over who come back here to see their families for holidays and special occasions and stop in if they need something repaired.”
The small business, recognized as the best shoe retailer in the country in 2000, is committed to reinvention to ensure it continues its legacy of service for future generations.
“A lot of foot issues are inherited,” Rhonda said. “I see young girls walking around the mall in flip-flops and I can tell they’ll be customers here someday because of their gait and their flimsy shoes.”
Rhonda said many people are embarrassed to show their feet, even to trained professionals. The Jensens began taking Riley, a dog trained to assist Bruce, to the store to lighten the mood. Through the years, there have been two Rileys serving as store mascots to make people feel more comfortable.
“Sometimes they get too comfortable and share all kinds of things that don’t have anything to do with shoes,” said Rhonda, laughing. “I don’t need to know about your sex life or your bowel movements to get your feet fixed up.”
Rhonda is passionate about serving people and her family’s profession to literally get people back on their feet.
“The work is rewarding in so many ways, and we love it,” she said. “We’re a destination place. If you need us, we’re here.
