Phil's Shoes

With an A&P grocery as its anchor, Pearl's Plaza, at 44th and Pearl streets, was filled with successful retail stores. But Phil's (named for original owner Phil Lewis) with its huge array of women's shoes, caught Pinkney's eye and she became a loyal client of 3 generations of the Lewis family ownership: 1st Phil, then his son, Sam; and finally Sam's son, Mark. Besides changing owners, Phil's got larger, taking over spaces vacated by other retailers. As the years passed, there were plenty of vacant spaces, especially after the A&P closed in the early 1980s.