Harry’s Shoes

Some people remember birthdays, some, notable dates in history. Robert Goldberg, 59, remembers shoe sizes. Lots of them. “It’s just one of those obscure things…shoe sizes stick in my head.”

Little wonder. Goldberg (size 11 ½) is the third-generation owner of the venerable Upper West Side destination for sensible, quality footwear, Harry’s Shoes at 83rd and Broadway, and its more recent sibling, Harry’s Shoes for Kids just up the block. He has been at the helm of the operation since he and his second-in-command and sister, Randi Goldberg Wasserman (size 10 ½, narrow), took over from their father, Joe, son of the eponymous Harry, in 1987. Joe died in 2012.

“10 ½, double E.”

That’s long-time customer Al Franken who stops in at Harry’s when he needs something new to wrap around his unusually beamy feet.

“James Gandolfini [of Sopranos fame] wore a 13, wide,” Robert recalls. “I remember Rick Moranis used to wear a size 8 or 7 ½…Lauren Bacall, I believe, used to wear size 11.”