Independent footwear retailer Briggs Shoes is marking the 90th birthday of family matriarch Mary Powney, celebrating a legacy tied to the Lancashire coast for more than four decades.

Founded in 1863 as a Victorian bootmaker's shop, the company is in its sixth generation of direct family ownership. Briggs Shoes established its presence in Morecambe on Regent Road in 1985, later consolidating operations in 2013 by converting a former promenade building into its flagship store and head office on the town’s Central Promenade.

Mary Powney's leadership represents a direct link to the company's 163-year history. A trained professional musician who studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, she and her late husband, Ian, returned to the North West in 1968 to support her mother, Bessie, following the sudden death of her father, Leslie.

The retailer has historically relied on the leadership of successive generations of women. This includes Mary’s grandmother, Isabella Sophia Briggs, and her mother, Bessie, who assumed control of operations after her brother, Bert, a Dunkirk veteran, contracted fatal malaria in Asia at the close of the Second World War.

Today, Briggs Shoes is managed by Mary’s son, Tom Powney, alongside grandson Luke Powney and Laura Domville. The business has diversified beyond its traditional footwear roots, introducing clothing ranges and brand partnerships to adapt to changing high street retail environments.

The family remains actively involved in the local business community and supports the forthcoming Eden Project Morecambe eco-tourism development. The company has installed a dedicated roof camera at its promenade headquarters to document construction progress on the major regeneration project, which is scheduled to commence this month.

Tom Powney, Director of Briggs Shoes, said: "Mum has always been at the heart of the family and the business, changing her life to return to it when I was just two, taking the helm during my father’s ill-health, and helping it adapt, survive and thrive through many challenging times.

“Reaching 90 is a wonderful milestone, and gives us a chance not only to celebrate her, but also the generations of customers, staff and local communities that have known Mary, and supported Briggs, over many years.

“Introducing new brand partnerships, clothing and accessories ranges to meet our customer’s changing needs, and being passionate about keeping independent High Street shopping alive has been the key to our success.

“We hope mum’s milestone helps remind people of independent businesses’ role in local communities like Morecambe: honouring the past while helping to shape an exciting future.”