Johnston & Murphy Shop

This is a flagship J&M store, so you’ll find a wider variety and more high-​end shoes than at your typical mall store. I didn’t buy anything but I was really impressed at the enthusiastic customer service I received. The sales girl was almost jumping for joy when I walked in and gave me a quick tour of the store, but by no means was pushy or annoying.
But…be warned that the Johnston & Murphy of 2014 is not the J&M of 1984 or even 1994. Nowadays, most of their shoes look very nice but the construction quality that matters most has gone downhill. Expect a glued-​sole on anything priced below $ 175, which will not be as durable or lasting in the long run as a welted sole. I picked up a couple of their high-​end «Aristocraft» models, and while they had good-​quality Goodyear welted soles, there were many visible defects on the leather (especially the burgundy models) and soles (look carefully at the stitching). I would go so far to say that some of the expensive shoes on display would be considered «seconds» at a higher-​end shoemaker, and keep in mind that these shoes are sitting on a display case and haven’t had any day-​to-​day wear. Caveat emptor.
That being said, they have some nice looking shoes at a good price point. I would only recommend the low-​end models if you need a nice pair of dress shoes for occasional use (e.g. you’re the guy who gets to wear Converse to work and need a cool looking pair of dress shoes to wear 10 times a year). If you’re looking for a workhorse shoe that can be resoled and last you for 20+ years, then don’t look at anything in the store priced under $ 175 as you won’t get the construction features that you need.

All I can say is Bob knows his shoes.
Dude helped me pick out the right shoes for what I was looking for, gave some sage advice about fitting, and pointed me to the on-​sale socks.
Do watch out for the shoe balm up-​sell at the end, though.

Overall a quality store, the attendants are great about showing you the shoes and helping you try them on. They helped me pick out a pair that I was interested in and had lots of tips on how to take care of them. Only complaint was that the attendant put a thing of ‘shoe balm’ in my bag and charged me for it without me realizing it. The shoe balm works but it wasn’t something I was expecting to buy. I recommend this store over others in the area as it has a greater selection.