Iconic Haines Shoe House in York County being sold, turned into an Airbnb

York Daily Record

If you've wanted to spend the night in the Haines Shoe House, you may soon get your chance.

The iconic house visible from Route 30 east of York is being sold and turned into an Air BnB, according to a Facebook post made by current owner Jeff Schmuck.

"A change is coming! The Shoe House is under contract with new owners taking possession late July," Schmuck wrote in the post. "The new owners are a local family that plan to turn The Shoe into an Air BnB, while maintaining the museum feel and artifacts, so it will be shared with the public."

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The Haines Shoe House was in need of preservation in 1986.

Schmuck and his late wife, Melanie, bought the roadside attraction in 2015. Melanie Schmuck passed away Feb. 28, 2019, at the age of 38. At the time, her death was announced on the Shoe House's Facebook page. The house has been open for tours and it features an ice cream shop on the first floor.

The Shoe House, at 197 Shoe House Road in Hellam Township, is 25 feet-high, 17 feet wide, and 48 feet long. It has had a long and interesting history.

The kitchen of the Haines Shoe House has the original, still working, GE appliances from the late 1940s.

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The wood-framed structure, covered in stucco reinforced with wire mesh, was built in 1948 to promote Mahlon Haines' chain of shoe stores. Over the years, it has been a honeymoon suite, a vacation spot for elderly couples, an ice cream shop and a tourist attraction offering tours of the Shoe.

At some point, the building began to deteriorate until Annie Haines Keller – Mahlon’s granddaughter – purchased the property and restored it along with the shoe-shaped dog house next to it. It passed through various owners until the Schmucks bought it.

Visitors don't need to go on a guided tour if they stop by the Haines Shoe House. A little shop, where ice cream and other treats are available for purchase, is open to anyone during business hours.

Now, it has been sold again, and will take on a new life. Schmuck did not release the name of the new owners, or details of the Air Bnb plans.

Current hours at The Shoe House are 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday until closing day, which is July 24, according to a Facebook post.

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