Our story begins with Manilal Kothari, 13 years old in 1913 getting on a steamer ship and leaving his family behind in Rajkot India to travel to Aden Yemen and look for work. In 1932, Manilal would open a Bata shoe agency, and a shoe empire would be born.
In the following years, Manilal and his wife gave birth to nine wonderful children, including his third oldest daughter, Pramila Kothari.
Pramila would marry Madhukant Mehta and give birth to Manilal’s granddaughter, Rita Mehta.
Rita would make her way to Canada in 1977 and work for her uncles at Ovation Shoes before opening her own store in Strathroy Ontario Canada in 1989 with her uncle and Manilal’s youngest son, Sharad Kothari, making her a third generation fixture in the shoe business.
In 2015, Rita’s son Vishal, would be walking 82 meters from a trip to the St. Lawrence Market and see that local shoe staple, Harry Young shoes was shutting its doors, and the historic Market district would have a shoe void. Enter Mila’s Fine Footwear, an homage to Rita’s mother Pramila with a European twist to match our European style. With a small town service mentality stemming from Rita’s days in Strathroy Ontario, Mila’s Fine Footwear offers an incredible selection of European brand shoes from Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain while offering superior small town service that will leave you smiling from the moment you leave the store with your favorite pair of amazingly comfortable shoes, sandals or boots.
But above all else, you’ll remember the service from Mila’s friendly and knowledgeable staff. Whether you’re in town for a Blue Jays game, the Rogers Centre is a mere 1.7 kilometers away.
Or maybe you’re here for a concert, Maple Leafs or Raptors game at the Scotiabank arena (one kilometer), then before you go, arrive at the game or show in style with a pair of stylish and comfortable shoes. Sometimes the mall can be overwhelming, with too many choices and a lot of people or noise, with staff that is too busy to be attentive to your needs, then make that short, one kilometer walk to Mila’s and get a personalized touch while sitting on our extremely comfortable couches.
No matter which local hotspot you are visiting or living in downtown Toronto, Mila’s is two kilometers or less away, with a superior, unique product, an outstanding staff and brand names you love in a small business family setting.
At Mila’s Fine Footwear, when you’re here, you’re home.
