Schuler Shoes thrives on comfort but survives on style

Staci Matthews was somewhat of a reluctant convert to Schuler Shoes.

"I thought it was where old people shop for orthopedic shoes," said the 45-year-old co-host of the KS95 "Moon & Staci" afternoon radio program.

After a bad fall requiring several surgeries on her feet, she took the advice of her physical therapist and went to Schuler's for comfortable shoes. "I thought that I would have to give up fashion, but I found some really cute shoes that I could comfortably wear, even flip-flops and higher-heeled sandals with proper support," she said.

Owner John Schuler, 69, knows that his family's company, which is celebrating its 125th year in business this year, has a certain mature reputation. But unlike retailers that embrace the word "orthopedic" and fade away, Schuler's calls itself a "sit and fit" retailer that sells comfort and style.

"We don't ever want to look like an orthopedic shoe store. That's the kiss of death," he said.

Although many of Schuler's customers are baby boomers and beyond, Schuler pays little attention to age demographics. He prefers to focus on the age when a person's feet become a concern. "Whether it's age 10, 40 or 70," he said. Maybe it's an injury, a need for comfort, or a size that's difficult to find in the mall stores, but sooner or later, Schuler said he has what customers want.

With 10 stores, including the newest one in Highland Park to open in February, the largest independent shoe retailer west of the Mississippi expects nearly $40 million in sales this year and consistently grows about 7 or 8 percent per year. "We don't want higher growth than that," Schuler said. "It's too hard to find, train and manage new employees."

The Twin Cities is no exception. Roberts Shoes on Lake Street in Minneapolis will close later this year after 77 years. Bay Street Shoes in Calhoun Square will also close in the next few months after opening in Uptown in 1984. Duggan's Comfort Footwear in St. Paul has been gone for nearly a decade.

"As stores close, those that are doing well do even better," said Schuyler. "Schuler's falls into that category. They were able to add stores in tough times when quality storefronts became available and rents were cheap."

Darrel Besikof, owner of Bay Street Shoes in Uptown and Edina, said that Schuler's has done so many things right that they practically own the size and fit business in the Twin Cities. "He's got four smart kids who want to stay in the business and help him with buying and technology. That's a huge luxury that a lot of small retailers don't have," he said.

Schuler also took a different path by opening a permanent clearance room in each store. Most independent retailers do the semiannual rack sale, which disrupts the normal flow of the store. Having sale shoes on the floor at all times in a separate section inspired Besikof to do the same at Bay Street. "The sale customer is just as important as the full-price customer," Besikof said. "You can get rid of product without junking up the main floor."

Kathleen Thiede of Edina appreciates Schuler's sale racks, especially when she can find her size, a 9 ½ AAA. "I can't go to low-cost stores because they don't have my size," she said. "I've tried Macy's and Nordstrom, but it's hard to find the same salesperson each time like I can at Schuler's."

A typical shoe run at Schuler's is 72 pairs in 18 sizes. "It's a lot more complicated than buying small, medium, large and extra-large. And it's a huge investment," Schuler said.

Successful retailers must also adapt quickly to a constantly changing market. Schuler's saw the trend moving away from leather-soled casual shoes in the 1970s to athletic shoes from Nike and Adidas that were embraced by all ages. "They were so comfortable that other shoe manufacturers soon realized that they had to make theirs more comfortable," Schuler said. "Dressports by Rockport changed that."

He also was quick to try New Balance on for size, one of the few domestic athletic shoe manufacturers with product made in the U.S. and with an extended size range. The company now has dedicated New Balance stores, with clothes as well as shoes, in St. Louis Park and several other locations.

Schuler decided that the 125th anniversary was the moment to update the store's logo and website. Currently, only 3 percent of the retailer's sales are online, but they're striving to improve that. The site will soon be able to reflect current inventory. Until now, the online inventory was updated only once a day, so customers didn't know immediately if an item was back-ordered.

Marketing director Kari Palmer is responsible for social marketing, the website and promotions. Where most indie-shoe retailers have fewer than 5,000 Facebook friends, Schuler's has nearly 22,000. She organizes women's wellness seminars, promotions for $20 tickets to the "Heidi Chronicles" at the Guthrie Theater, free Vera Bradley makeup cases with purchase at select stores, and Teacher Appreciation Week. "We want people to know the value of what we offer. We let people have their cake and eat it too with comfort and style," she said.

With 75 percent of the retailer's business coming from women, Palmer wants their female customers to look good when they wear Schuler shoes. "We may not have a selection as sexy as Nordstrom, but we can still make women feel pretty," she said.

And how does Schuler's guarantee compete with Nord­strom? The official policy is 30 days unworn, but Schuler said the key phrase is "make 'em happy." If that means they want their money back after wearing a shoe, customers get their money back. "But if they wear and want to return five different pairs of shoes, we'll have a conversation with them," Schuler said.

John Ewoldt • 612-673-7633