Shaquille O'Neal (size 22D) has been a customer since he was 14. Don King spent $64,100 on a spree in 1995, and Oprah has done three segments on the store. For more than 30 years Friedman's Shoes in downtown Atlanta has catered to the large-footed man. The nondescript, three-level store features designer brands such as Steve Madden and Cole Haan, and Friedman's own line. There's also a "skins room," for shoes made from alligator, lizard, snake and ostrich. Many shoes go for as little as $50 (when you buy two pairs), but a snazzy gator skin, size 17, will set you back $895.
When Phillip Friedman opened the store in 1929, it sold used shoes. In 1958 Bruce Teilhaber, Friedman's son-in-law, who eventually took over the store in '72, began buying odd lots of shoes, which included "oversizers." He discovered a huge demand for loafers as big as the Santa Maria, and word spread to pro athletes from many sports. These days Friedman's clients include Willie McGinest, Lennox Lewis, Gary Sheffield and Chris Webber. In 1982 Friedman's opened a women's store down the block, where WNBA players -- and Shaq's mom, Lucille (size 13) -- shop.
