A Giant, 3-Bedroom Shoe Is One of Pennsylvania’s Hottest Rentals

A Giant, 3-Bedroom Shoe Is One of Pennsylvania’s Hottest Rentals
The Haines Shoe House in York County was first built in 1949 as a marketing gimmick for a shoe salesman and later operated as an ice cream shop. Naomi and Waylon Brown/TNS
Tribune News Service
Updated:
By Jason Nark From The Philadelphia Inquirer

Philadelphia—If sleeping in a 1,400-square-foot work boot is on your 2023 vision board, head west to York County.

The Haines Shoe House, built in 1949 as a marketing tool for a local shoe store, has been spruced up and is available to rent. The home features three bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, and a hot tub, out back. The shoe’s new owners, Naomi and Waylon Brown, bought the property in the summer for $355,000 and set to fixing it up. It opened for rentals on VRBO.com in November.

“We were the first guests to stay and test it out,” Naomi Brown told The Inquirer on Friday. “I celebrated my 40th birthday there with my sisters.”

The average cost of the Haines Shoe House, according to VRBO, is $302 per night, but Brown said the base rate on weekdays is $199 per night. She said the shoe is pretty much booked up through April.

“As far as I know, there’s not too many shoes houses in the country,” she said. “There may be one in California.”

Interior of the Haines Shoe House. (Naomi and Waylon Brown/TNS)
Interior of the Haines Shoe House. Naomi and Waylon Brown/TNS

The shoe house was built by Mahlon “the shoe wizard” Haines on Shoe House Lane, visible from Route 30, east of York. Haines lived there briefly, then let people affiliated with his stores or honeymooners stay there. The shoe house was opened to renters, then used as a private residence and, for several decades, operated as an ice cream parlor.

One of the three bedrooms in the Haines Shoe House. (Naomi and Waylon Brown/TNS)
One of the three bedrooms in the Haines Shoe House. Naomi and Waylon Brown/TNS

Brown said the ice cream parlor had not been doing well, and with the popularity of short-term rentals, particularly quirky ones, the conversion back to a home seemed like a no-brainer. The Browns did some modern decorating in the shoe while maintaining the history and eccentricities Haines was known for.

“We’ve had so many people come here and say, ‘My grandparents stayed here’ and we wanted to keep the history intact,” she said.

Brown said the shoe house will soon be getting a historical marker from the state.

Copyright 2023 The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC. Visit at inquirer.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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