The author, John Marek, is a writer and executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership.
On Labor Day, I drove out to the new Riverbend Village development at the intersection of I-485 and N.C. 16, northwest of Charlotte. Twenty years ago, that area was a sleepy rural community anchored by a tiny shopping center and a few dozen lakefront houses. These days, it has blossomed into a booming suburban hub. But my reason for heading there wasn’t to admire the gleaming new Corning office tower or marvel at the impressive new Harris Teeter; friends of ours, Ron and Nicole Thompson, started a Red Wing Shoes franchise there and I was attending the grand opening celebration.
If you know me at all, you know I’m a boot guy. My everyday footwear is hiking boots. My ”business casual” footwear is a pair of bison leather chukkas, and when I’m feeling fancy, I break out my iconic Bean boots. My preference for boots over shoes can probably be traced to my father. Dad wasn’t an extravagant spender, to say the least, but the one thing he splurged on was his work boots. He always said that if he was going to stand in boots for 10 hours a day (he worked on a loading dock) he was going to have the most comfortable ones money could buy. Whenever he needed a new pair, he would drive to a particular store in Toledo to get the brand he wanted. Sadly, I don’t recall with certainty what brand that was, but it might have been Red Wing or Chippewa or even something that isn’t around any longer. Whatever the brand, I recall him paying upward of $100 for them, the equivalent of $400 today, which is indeed what a really good pair of work boots can cost.
The store in Toledo where Dad got his boots was (and is) called Woodville Surplus. I had an opportunity to visit there last summer. It has changed surprisingly little in 45 years and still offers a vast array of work boots in a sparse, utilitarian setting. Our friends’ Red Wing store is a good bit more upscale. Featuring brick and steel and wood, it has a pleasantly industrial feel while embracing the aesthetic of the affluent shopping center where it is located.
The Thompsons’ journey to Red Wing store owners began a year or so ago when Ron’s corporate sales job was eliminated. Rather than jump back on the corporate hamster wheel, he decided to open his own business, and began searching for the right fit. A “what franchise is right for you?” survey pointed him in the direction of Red Wing Shoes, where his experience in retail, consumer and industrial sales made him a perfect candidate.
Red Wing Shoes offers four brands, each catering to a specific type of buyer. The traditional Red Wing brand is favored by industrial workers, contractors and woodsmen. Red Wing Heritage is a lifestyle brand popular with motorcyclists, musicians and millennials. Irish Setter offers a quality boot at a lower price point. And the Worx brand targets corporate accounts, large organizations that negotiate prices and provide footwear for their employees at a reduced cost.
Even with the assistance of Red Wing franchise operations, opening a retail store is no small feat. The Thompsons had to find a location that was reasonably close to their home, but provided the foot traffic and accessibility their store required. Like my father, customers will often travel an hour or more to buy a specific brand of work boot, and to get the custom fit and service only a trained and experienced salesperson can provide. A high-visibility location right off the highway makes it easy for people from out of town to find the store. Then there’s getting all the proper approvals, permits and licenses. The original plan was to open the store in August, but a delay in getting a particular permit pushed the opening back a few weeks. That was probably just as well, as opening a work boot store on Labor Day weekend somehow seems right.
Looking for a pair of quality work boots? Red Wing Shoes of Charlotte, 9510 Riverbend Village Drive, Charlotte, N.C., (980) 236-7158.