Faith, Grit, and a Lifetime of Craft: The Story of Windham’s Shoe Shop and the Man Who Keeps It Going

By: Shelia Mader

At 4408 Lafayette Street in downtown Marianna, there’s a little shop that holds a lot of history. Windham’s Shoe Shop has been a fixture in the community for nearly half a century, a place where boots, shoes, and leather goods get a second life, and where hard work and faith are stitched into everything that comes through the door.

The shop’s owner, Dennis Creamer, has spent 48 years at the bench. His hands have shaped and repaired countless pairs of shoes, each one a quiet reflection of his dedication and skill. The name Windham comes from the man who trained him, Mr. Windham, who once ran his own shop across town.

“I used to buy my shoes from him,” Dennis said with a smile. “Then one day, after I hurt my back building houses, he told me, ‘Son, you ain’t gonna last doing that. Why don’t you come train to repair shoes?’ So, I did. That was the beginning of it.”

After five years of working side by side, Mr. Windham sold the shop to Dennis, and the legacy has carried on ever since.

Over the years, Dennis has seen the craft change. “There’s a lot more unrepairable stuff now,” he said. “A lot of it’s made overseas, throwaway stuff. But there’s not many shoe shops left. I’m sending shoes all over, Texas, North Carolina, and Colorado. They got boot makers, but they don’t have shoe repairmen.”

Customers across the country ship their shoes to Marianna because they trust Dennis to bring them back to life. He’s honest with everyone who walks in the door. “I tell people, if a shoe can’t be repaired, I’ll let you know right off. But if it can be fixed, I’ll make sure it’s done right.”

That straightforward, old-school approach has earned him a near-perfect reputation. The shop holds five-star reviews, with locals and out-of-state customers alike praising his workmanship and character.

Not long ago, Dennis faced one of the hardest fights of his life, a sudden health crisis that nearly took him from the people who love him.

“I had total kidney failure and turned septic the second day I was in the hospital,” he recalled. “It didn’t look good. They told me I had about three to seven days because I wouldn’t go on dialysis. But I’ll tell you what, the Lord and the people praying for me brought me out of there.”

After more than 30 days in the hospital and rehab, Dennis decided he’d had enough sitting still. “I just checked myself out of rehab,” he said. “Came on out and rehabbed myself. We were raised different, you worked. But a lot of prayers are what brought me out of that place.”

These days, his brother-in-law lends a hand in the shop, while his longtime coworker now helps care for Dennis’s wife, who is disabled. “Thank the Lord for him,” Dennis said. “People sure have been good to me, and I appreciate them.”

Marianna has rallied around Dennis through every trial. He’s the kind of man who insists on giving more than he takes, a man whose quiet toughness and humble faith remind everyone what resilience really looks like.

His shop is more than a business. It’s a living example of what happens when a person pours their heart into their work and their trust into God.

If you stop by Windham’s Shoe Shop, you’ll find Dennis doing what he’s always done, fixing boots, sharing a story, and giving thanks for another day. As he puts it simply: “I thank the Lord. People sure been good to me.”