Miller's Shoes, Eagle partners for 127 years
The Butler Eagle has been around 150 years. Miller's Shoes in Butler has been in business for 127 years.
The longevity of the two “institutions” go hand-in-hand, says James “Jimmy” Chiprean Jr., who runs the family-owned Miller's Shoes with his two brothers.
“We sort of compliment one another,” he said.
Miller's Shoes, which has been a downtown Butler fixture since 1893, is believed to be the longest advertiser of the Eagle.
“We've been here 127 years,” Chiprean said, and “we've probably been with the Eagle for all that time.”
Campbell E. Miller established the shoe business at 215 S. Main St.
At age 10, Chiprean's grandfather, the late John J. Chiprean, began working at the store in 1907. He eventually climbed the ladder to salesman and buyer.
He took over ownership when Miller died in 1934. The Miller name, however, stayed.
“People who knew shoes knew the name,” Chiprean said, “so we kept it. We wanted to keep that tradition.”
John Chiprean maintained that tradition — and then some. He became known to many as “Mr. Butler” for his devotion to the city and for his civic and charity work.
Advertising was important in keeping the business up and growing, Jimmy Chiprean said. The No. 1 advertising vehicle was the Eagle.
“My grandfather goes back to the Wise family,” Chiprean said. “He knew them well, and they worked together to get the right ads for the right time.”
John Chiprean died in 1995, and his son, James Sr., took over the business. At his side, too, was his wife, Madeline. The couple eventually opened shoe stores in Erie, Meadville, Altoona and Oakland.
Those stores operated for many years before closing, leaving only the Butler store.
Jimmy and brothers Anthony and John are third- generation operators.But their parents are still involved. James Sr. still has dibs on his desk, where he is sometime seen reading the current edition of the Eagle.“The paper was important to him, and it's important to me,” Jimmy said. “It's something you can hold in your hand and read the obituaries, all the local news, the anniversaries, the sports.”The Eagle, through the years, he said, also has provided the biggest “bang for the buck” in terms of advertising.“The Butler Eagle is a power paper, and it is the local paper,” Jimmy said. “I still think the Butler Eagle is one of the best local newspapers around in comparison to others.”Back in the “heydays” of the '60s, '70s and '80s, he said, “everybody read the newspaper.” The Chipreans piggybacked on that popularity to help bring customers into the store.“Whenever Miller's was having a sale,” Jimmy said, “everyone knew about it. We'd have an Easter sale, a Christmas sale, a Fourth of July sale. If there was a holiday, we'd have a sale.And it wasn't uncommon for shoppers to come in, the store's ad clipped from the Eagle and in hand, to show what they we looking for.“That still happens now and then,” Jimmy said.Miller's, he noted, also worked in coordination with other stores, Butler Downtown and other redevelopment agencies to keep Butler commerce strong.While times have changed and social media has impacted newspapers, nationally and locally, Jimmy says the Eagle remains vital to Miller's business, and he is optimistic about the future.“I feel good about the new infrastructure in downtown,” he said. “We have the SpringHill Marriott hotel, the state-of-the-art Centre City garage, the Rite Aid combined with the restaurants and specialty shops.“Downtown Butler is just a great place to be.”
