HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 1233
By Mannis
A RESOLUTION to recognize Coffin Shoe Company on the occasion of its 100th anniversary.
WHEREAS, it is fitting that the members of this Generally Assembly should recognize those historic Tennessee businesses that have a long-standing commitment to providing exceptional service to their customers; and WHEREAS, one such estimable entity is Coffin Shoe Company of Bearden, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, a commendable milestone for this family-owned and family-operated business; and WHEREAS, in 1922, Hector Coffin, grandfather of current Coffin Shoe Company president Park Coffin, started his own shoe store on Gay Street after working for a time at
Spence Shoes downtown; his initial partner, Grover Beeler, left the business during the Great Depression; and WHEREAS, Coffin Shoe Company survived not only the Great Depression but also World War II and became an iconic downtown fixture; Hector Coffin's son, Jim Coffin, joined the family business after serving in the Korean War and took over when his father, who worked until the day before he died, passed away in 1967; and WHEREAS, it was in 1958 that the family opened a second store in the Bearden Shopping Center in the 5900 block of Kingston Pike; the downtown store closed in 1963 after a new Coffin store opened in Fountain City, headed by Park Coffin's uncle, Charles Coffin; and WHEREAS, in 1976, the family opened J.P. Coffin's Clothing at Executive Park before later relocating to Franklin Square; in 2019, the clothing side of the business was combined with the existing shoe store; and HJR1233
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WHEREAS, among the many customers Coffin Shoe Company has seen over the years are former mayors Victor Ashe, Randy Tyree, and the elder John Duncan; noted actresses Mary Costa, Patricia Neal, and Polly Bergen; Tennessee sports icons Phillip Fulmer, Johnny Majors,
and Pat Summitt; and former WBIR Heartland Series host Bill Landry; and WHEREAS, in this, Coffin Shoe Company's 100th year of operation, the store carries the latest in footwear, but much of the store harkens back to the 1960s era with its vintage layout,
neon sign, old-style foot stools, metal Brannock Devices for measuring foot sizes, and personal attention by the staff; and WHEREAS, in addition to Park Coffin, the current proprietors of Coffin Shoe Company include his daughter, Hanlon Coffin, and thirty-two-year employee John Humphrey; and WHEREAS, for a century now, Coffin Shoe Company has been providing superior footwear and customer service, and it is fitting that the business be recognized; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED
TWELFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE SENATE
CONCURRING, that we congratulate Coffin Shoe Company on 100 years of operation, wishing the iconic Tennessee business much continued success in the future.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that an appropriate copy of this resolution be prepared for presentation with this final clause omitted from such copy and upon proper request made to
the appropriate clerk, the language appearing immediately following the State seal appear without House or Senate designation.
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