Alex Jeffrey Rudolph, longtime owner and operator of Towson Bootery, a popular shoe store that for generations has specialized in family footwear, passed away on Tuesday, Dec. 31. He was 76.
“Alex cherished the friendships he built throughout his life, staying in close touch with childhood friends and forming countless bonds with generations of customers who became like family,” his family wrote on the Sol Levinson & Bros. website. “A cornerstone of his life was his dedication to the family business, Towson Bootery, where he played a pivotal role in transforming his father’s vision into the thriving establishment it remains today, proudly serving the community for 76 years.”
Towson Bootery was founded in 1948 by R. Richard Rudolph on York Road in the heart of “downtown” Towson. The elder Rudolph was known back then as the “unofficial mayor of Towson.”
“Back when my dad was running the business, people would come in and say, ‘I can’t pay you, Mr. Rudolph, but can you let me take the shoes and I’ll send you a check?’” Alex Rudolph told the magazine Footwear Plus in 2017. “He kept records of who owed what. It was a different way of doing business. My father was very personable. People gravitated to him.”
Rudolph attributed Towson Bootery’s success over the decades to the fact that customers “know we’ve been in business all these years, we’re honest and we know what we’re doing. The children’s sales drives our men’s and women’s business because adults end up buying, too, when they’re in our store.”
The store moved to the Shops at Kenilworth mall in 1996.
Towson Bootery’s website states that the store was “founded on the principles of community, hard work, and what customers today still know as ‘the right fit.’ Holding onto his father’s founding principles, Alex Rudolph owns and operates the store today with the help of his daughter, Stefanie.”
A Pikesville native and resident, Rudolph was a 1967 graduate of Pikesville High School.
“ Alex was a man of many passions,” his family wrote. “He loved his family deeply, valued his friendships, and relished conversations about shoes, sports, and the good old days. While his commitment to the store was unwavering, he always made time for his favorite pastimes, including weekly racquetball matches and card games. He made time for long phone calls with his close friends, like his daily phone calls with one of his oldest friends Gary Zipper. His warmth, devotion, and love for life will be fondly remembered by all who knew him.”
Rudolph is survived by his children, Stacey (Jeremy) Krafchin, Stefanie Rudolph (Adam Sober); his sisters, Gail (Mark) Horowitz and Diane (Alan) Taylor; his grandchildren, Jake Krafchin and Zach Krafchin.
He is also survived by longtime companion Beth Hankin and her children and grandchildren, as well as his nephew, Ryan Becker (Carly Barrett,) and half-sister Lynda Levin Behnke.
He was predeceased by his parents, R. Richard and Doris Rudolph; and his former wife, Robbin Rudolph.
Funeral services were held on Sunday, Jan. 5, at Sol Levinson’s Chapel in Pikesville. Interment was at Oheb Shalom Memorial Park, 430 Berrymans Lane in Reisterstown.
Contributions in his memory may be sent to the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center and Gilchrist Hospice Care, 11311 McCormick Road, suite 350, Hunt Valley, Maryland 21031.
The family will be in mourning at 3900 Logtrail Way in Reisterstown.
An old friend of Rudolph’s, retired WJZ-TV reporter Ron Matz wrote, “He had a zest for life and for helping his customers. Walking into the Towson Bootery just before the start of school in the fall was like hearing a symphony of shoe shopping and Alex was the maestro. Parents and kids would be everywhere along with shoes and socks. The store would be a madhouse but Alex made sure everyone was taken care of. That’s the kind of caring person he was.
“He was a true mensch in every sense of the word.”
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