It all started with one pair of sandals shared between two college students. For Paul and Claire Tinkerhess, those Birkenstocks became an inspiration to build a legacy. In the heart of Kerrytown, Ann Arbor, the Tinkerhesses opened Birkenstock in 1989. 35 years later, their store has not only served thousands of locals but also woven itself into the community’s fabric.
“We were hungry, and I needed to make a living,” Paul said, reflecting on the store’s beginning.
Paul was a young father looking for a way to support his growing household. His wife had been a longtime fan of Birkenstocks, wearing the same pair since college that Paul would share with her.
Claire’s college-era Birkenstocks, worn spring after spring, inspired Paul’s lightbulb moment: Ann Arbor deserved a store that specialized in shoes that were not just functional but lasted.
“I also came to learn that Birkenstocks are really designed to be repaired when they wear out,” Paul explained. “Maintaining things can be an exercise in maintaining relationships. Don’t throw things away, and don’t throw people away.”
The shop opened its doors at a time when Kerrytown was alternative and eclectic, a fitting area for their unique shop. The farmers market bustled, but Paul’s storefront wasn’t doing as well.
“The building we moved into had been a pornography store,” Paul said. “There was graffiti on the front that read, ‘Anything better than porn.’ Well, we were that anything better.”
Opening a sandal store in snowy Michigan wasn’t without challenges. Back in the ‘90s, Birkenstocks weren’t the household name they are today. Most people thought of them as summer shoes — functional but not exactly stylish. Winters were hard for the store.
“I remember looking out the window at snow blowing sideways and thinking, maybe it wasn’t so smart to open a sandal store this far north,” Paul said.
However, he adapted and found creative ways to survive the cold months. They expanded into different brands with closed-toe shoes, put on holiday sales and even experimented with expanding the store to the next store over and selling Tempur-Pedic mattresses.
“It was like a Birkenstock for your whole body,” Paul said. “Selling those mattresses helped us make it through quite a few winters.”
The most challenging moment in the store’s history, however, came decades later, with COVID-19 almost putting the store out of business.
With the store closed, Paul spent long days digitizing inventory and setting up a website to sell shoes online. Customers couldn’t come inside, so Paul set up tables outside and fitted them at the door.
“It was a much different process than when people could come in and try different things,” Paul said.
Yet the shop survived, thanks to ingenuity and loyal customers.
That consistency has given Paul and Claire the freedom to step back a bit, letting their employees carry the torch. One of the store’s defining features has always been its repair service. For years, Paul personally handled all the repairs, working long hours during the prime of his life in the backroom with cork, soles and straps. Then Paul met Gene Johnson, the store’s current repair guru. Johnson took over the repair operation, allowing Paul to semi-retire.
The store represents something larger than shoes. It represents sustainability, craftsmanship and community. Birkenstocks have become a part of Paul’s identity.
“[The store] taught me patience,” Paul said. “In the same way we repair shoes, we repair relationships. We take care of what we have.”
Over the years, the store has become a fixture of Kerrytown with loyal customers and employees who feel like family — a space people rely on. Paul likes to think of it as an “anchor store,” a constant presence in a changing landscape.
“We’ve been in business longer than some of our customers have been alive,” Paul said, sharing a story of a 28-year-old customer who exclaimed, “Where have you been all my life?” His answer? “Right here.”
