Beloved Carytown shoe repair shop closes after owners self-deport

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.

Calos said she’s been a loyal customer and friend to the owners, whose names are being withheld due to feared repercussions, for about two years.

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"I went to pick up my alterations, and there was a sign on the door that she wasn't taking anymore," Calos said. "The owner started crying, and they explained that there was an issue with their status and that they were voluntarily leaving the country."

According to Calos, the couple had been in the United States for 25 years and they opened Mitchem’s in 2003. She said they had been fighting to become U.S. citizens since 2000, but ran into issues with a lawyer and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

"They chose to leave because they want to work with the system that's been established," Calos said.

The sudden closure has hit the community hard.

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"When it hits somebody that you do business with on a regular basis ... I literally pulled my car over and just lost it," Calos said. "It's an economic loss -- not only an emotional loss, but it's an economic loss for the community."

It is unclear if the couple will seek to return to the United States. Studio Two Three has established a fundraiser to help the family rebuild their lives in South Korea.