RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Members of the Carytown community are shocked and devastated after they said the owners of Mitchem’s Shoe Repair and Alterations self-deported to South Korea after more than two decades of trying to become American citizens.
The store — a beloved, long-standing neighborhood shop — now sits dark. It’s permanently closed, according to the community.
“People love them — they were just sweet, humble, unassuming people who worked very hard, six days a week,” said Kimberly Ann Calos, who owns the Bougie Coat Boutique just down the street from Mitchem’s…