To the outside world—those who have gazed through the windows of the Tannery’s grand Back Bay location at shelves lined with designer heels—Lewis’s story might sound shocking. Ever growing and expanding, the Tannery has been the picture of a successful Boston business, and Hassan’s story is in some ways the American Dream writ large. But to the many folks who’ve had run-ins with the man behind the shoe empire, Lewis’s allegations come as no surprise: Rumors of his bullying have for years been shared among small circles of retail and real estate power players, though it never seemed to affect his thriving footwear business and prime property holdings. His tirade against Lewis, however, hasn’t gone unnoticed, and now it appears that Hassan and his empire are in peril, facing bankruptcy, lawsuits, and discrimination charges filed by the attorney general. Which raises the question: Is Boston’s longest-reigning bully finally getting ready to leave the block? [Full Article]