This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Hawley Lane Shoes employee Tanarriss Middleton helps Garin Kopilak, 13, shop for the right sneaker in Stamford on Wednesday Aug. 24, 2022. Families take advantage of Connecticut Tax-Free Week as kids buy sneakers for the first day back on Monday, Aug. 29.

A customer shops at Hawley Lane Shoes in Stamford, Conn., on Wednesday. Families take advantage of Connecticut Tax-Free Week as kids buy sneakers for the first day back on Monday, Aug. 29.

Hawley Lane Shoes in Stamford, Conn., on Wednesday August 24, 2022. Families take advantage of Connecticut Tax-Free Week as kids buy sneakers for the first day back on Monday, Aug. 29.

Hawley Lane Shoes in Stamford, Conn., on Wednesday August 24, 2022. Families take advantage of Connecticut Tax-Free Week as kids buy sneakers for the first day back on Monday, Aug. 29.

Hawley Lane Shoes in Stamford, Conn., on Wednesday August 24, 2022. Families take advantage of Connecticut Tax-Free Week as kids buy sneakers for the first day back on Monday, Aug. 29.

Hawley Lane Shoes in Stamford, Conn., on Wednesday August 24, 2022. Families take advantage of Connecticut Tax-Free Week as kids buy sneakers for the first day back on Monday, Aug. 29.

Greenwich's Peter Overzat, 14, tries on shoes with assistance from sales associate Herb Young Jr. at Threads & Treads in Greenwich, Conn. Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022. Some Greenwich retailers are participating in "tax free week" on items less than $100 to help shoppers save money before the start of the new school year.

Stuart MacNaughton, 15, of Bronxville, N.Y., swaps his Nike running shoes for a new pair of On running shoes at Threads & Treads in Greenwich

Sales associate Herb Young Jr. shows different styles of running shoes to a customer at Threads & Treads in Greenwich Thursday. Some Greenwich retailers are participating in "tax free week" on items less than $100 to help shoppers save money before the start of the new school year.

Students will be returning to classrooms next week across the region and for many families that means a new pair of sneakers, or multiple pairs.

Many shoe stores in the area reported a busy week as school-aged children shopped for a new kicks to kick off the school year, while others took advantage of the state sponsored tax-free week.

Jason Holland, who owns The Athlete’s Source in Stamford and has worked in footwear stores for over 20 years, said this past week was the busiest he has ever witnessed.

He speculated that people waited to take advantage of tax-free week or waited until the week before school re-opens to shop for new shoes. Or, he said, perhaps customers have more money to spend than in recent years.

“The timing of it is fantastic,” said Holland, whose store suffered from the COVID-19 pandemic like many other businesses but has bounced back since.

Tuesday in particular was a day he described as “mayhem,” as the store saw roughly 300 percent more business than a typical day, he said.

The week before classes resume is a common time for families to buy back-to-school supplies, which includes everything from pencils, crayons, pens, journals and folders to clothing and apparel such as shirts and pants, backpacks and sneakers.

Dani Cohen was shopping at Hawley Lane Shoes in Stamford this week with her three boys — Phineas, 7, Lucas, 5, and Thaddeus, 3 — and there were two types of shoes the boys seemed interested in.

“What’s in are the light-ups and the twisty ones instead of laces,” Cohen said, describing kids shoes that light up when they hit the ground and others that use wires and a turning knob to tighten shoes as opposed to traditional laces or Velcro.

Cohen, a former Stamford Public Schools employee, lives in New Canaan, where her sons attend public school.

“We do a new backpack, new sneakers, haircuts and then they’re going back to school,” she said, of the family’s late summer traditions.

Many families look for new sneakers not just because of school starting up again, but because their children’s current shoes are tattered.

“They’re worn out from the entire summer because they’ve been playing outside every single day so they’ve taken a beating,” Cohen said.

Stamford resident Lauren Prince was in the same store with her two boys: Ben, 6, and Nathan, about to turn 2 in September.

Her oldest son is set to attend All Saints Catholic School in Norwalk, so she was looking for sneakers for him plus uniform shoes.

Prince said she wasn’t aware of the tax-free discounts, which granted customers no additional tax on any purchases under $100. At Hawley Lane, they took it a step further, giving customers a discount that would have equaled the tax free deduction for most purchases, even over $100.

“That was a surprise perk of today,” Prince said.

For the younger population, shoes like New Balance and Sketchers still remain popular, said Joe Gradia, co-owner of Hawley Lane.

For all customers, including those past the age of public school, three brands have been battling this season for best seller: the French company Hoka, the Swiss shoe manufacturer On, and the classic German sandal company Birkenstock.

Gradia said children and teenagers tend to go for the colorful shoes, as opposed to black and white.

“People want a pop,” he said.

Holland said many families wait until close to the start of school because their children may still be growing and they want something that will fit and last for much of the school year.

Like Gradia, he said Hoka and On are the hottest brands of the moment.

Greg Reilly, marketing manager and men’s buyer for Darien Sport Shop, said sustainable footwear manufacturer Veja, originally from France, has been a popular item among young girls.

Reilly said this back-to-school season has felt more like the ones before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We got back to the kind of more traditional summer flow of consumer traffic,” he said, adding that the shop has seen a busy week.

The store sells more than sneakers, and Reilly has spotted plenty of young families shopping for other items such as blazers and ties for school photo day.

“Customers are coming in with a mission,” he said.

Cohen, who watched as her boys enthusiastically picked out and tried on shoes at Hawley Lane in Stamford, said they were all excited to go to the shoe store to pick out a new look for the fall.

“It’s nice to go in with a fresh pair of kicks into the school year,” she said.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct where Jason Holland works.

Ignacio Laguarda is a reporter who covers education and more for the Stamford Advocate.