East Vancouver-based Dayton Boot Enterprises will open a second location May 20 on Granville Island.
The move comes almost four years after CEO Stephen Encarnacao bought into what is now a 64-year-old company.
He told Business in Vancouver at the time that his goal was to expand the boot and apparel company (See “Another bright idea: Neon nostalgia” – issue 920; June 12-18, 2007.)
In early 2008, it appeared as though he would exit the business by selling it, along with partners, to Vancouver’s Dussault Apparel. But Dussault’s non-binding letter of intent to buy Dayton never led to a deal that closed. Instead, Encarnacao continued to expand his business.
Dayton bought Vancouver’s Rino’s Shoes for an undisclosed amount in late 2008. (See “Dayton Boots acquires Rino’s” – issue 995; November 18-25.)
With that purchase Encarnacao moved Dayton beyond making and repairing a line of classic boots. Encarnacao then bought a controlling stake in the company in 2009.
Encarnacao, who earned his retailing stripes in the mid-1980s as Reebok’s global chief marketing officer, was not available to speak with BIV by press time.
“The intent of the new store design is to tell the story of Dayton Boots’ rich brand history and showcase our current performance and lifestyle product innovations to a broader audience of consumers,” he said in a release.
Glen Korstrom
Twitter: @GlenKorstrom