September 25, 2026
Provided Image/Joe Flocco
Vince Flocco Sr. stands outside Flocco's, which has been in business in Conshohocken for 100 years. The family-run store moved into its current location at 119 Fayette St. in the 1950s.
When Vince Flocco Jr. was just 3 or 4 years old, his father enlisted his help cleaning and setting up displays at Flocco's Shoes, Clothes & Formal Wear in Conshohocken.
His family lived in the apartment upstairs and often spent early mornings and late evenings putting in time at the family-owned business. Over seven decades later, Vince Jr., 74, now an owner of the store, has carried on the tradition by recruiting his 2- and 4-year-old grandsons to help break down boxes and pick up after customers.
"The Floccos keep on looking for that cheap labor," he joked. "... All of us learned at a very early age the proper way to run the store. That just continued over with my daughters when they were helping out in the store, my nieces, nephews, everybody would chip in at times and help out."
The store has grown from its humble beginnings as a shoe repair business to now specialize in everything from work boots and formalwear to personalized embroidery and uniform services for municipal workforces. Yet, Vince Jr. says it always tried to stay true to its roots, down to the creaky 1970s-style floorboards.
Vince Jr., his three brothers and their nieces and nephews run the store, which provides full-service fittings and tailoring for footwear, tuxedos and formalwear. They handle purchasing, store maintenance, budgeting and social media marketing. The ever-expanding inventory now includes an extensive collection of Philly sports apparel.
"We're basically all over the place," Vince said. "Everybody’s jobs tend to overlap."
From left, Vince Flocco Jr., Joe Flocco, Donald Flocco Jr., Donald Flocco Sr. and Anthony Flocco.
On Sunday from noon to 4 p.m., Flocco's will close its store to celebrate its 100th year in business with a customer appreciation event that highlights its rich history in Conshohocken. A block party will take over the parking lot adjacent to the store at 110-114 Fayette St., with food, games, giveaways, live music, a display of some of the shop's older relics and more. A fundraiser will also be held to support the mental health nonprofit Minding Your Mind.
"The whole idea is just to say thank you for supporting us all these years and keeping us here," Flocco said. "... We do have a very strong base of customers, thank God."
Flocco's began when Vince's grandfather, Donato, emigrated from Italy in 1926 and opened up his shoe repair shop on West 7th Avenue. When Vince Sr. arrived in America the following year, he began working alongside his father, and did so until Donato's death in 1950.
In the 1950s, Vince Sr. began to sell shoes and relocated the store to 119 Fayette St., where he also moved his wife and four children to the apartment upstairs.
In 1957, Vince Sr. and his brother Fred opened an Army Navy surplus store a few doors down from Flocco's. The business expanded to include school uniforms, sportswear, work clothing, tuxedos and everything in between. In 1970, they consolidated their two locations into its present storefront.
"I would help out my father in the shop finishing off shoes, gluing the soles together, prepping items and trimmings for him," Vince Jr. said. "But my father talked me out of it, basically saying you're not going to make a good enough living just focusing on the repair, and he was right."
Despite only having an eighth-grade education, Vince Sr. had a knack for entrepreneurship. He instilled the concept of diversification to the third generation of Floccos — a strategy that has remained a major part of the store's business model.
"As a businessman, (my dad) would give anybody under (him) knowledge of how to run a business, how to treat people," Vince Jr. said. "He could open up with anybody."
Vince Flocco Jr., Joe Flocco, Don Flocco and Anthony Flocco at the store in 1999.
Vince Jr. along with his siblings and cousins took over ownership of the store after their father's death in 1986. Over the decades, the family has amassed a loyal following of customers, many who come with stories about the previous generations of Floccos. Some who were fitted for their own prom or wedding are now bringing their grandchildren to get school uniforms, Vince Jr. said.
Yet, despite Flocco's ability to adapt, Vince admitted that in the era of online retail and short attention spans, he's not sure how much longer the store will last. Some of Vince Jr.'s children, nieces and nephews have expressed interest in following in the family's footsteps, but the line of succession is, so far, unclear.
"It's a different way of thinking, push a button and it's instant satisfaction," he said. "It's going to be real rough to keep on extending things over the next 20 years, let alone 100. … You just hope that the younger generation will want to be a part of this because the business is here for them to make a living.”
Vince Jr. said he is proud that his family has been a good steward to the Conshohocken community over the past century. Despite his fears about the future, he hopes that those grandchildren who help break down boxes will one day be able to ring in the store's next anniversary milestone.
"Thank God we do have a very strong base of customers," he said. "Small businesses like ourselves, we're the ones who support our communities. We're the ones that give for your little ones, fire departments, fundraisers. … So we're getting the fifth generation involved."
