Brown's Shoe Fit entering C.R. market with NE side store

Brown's Shoe Fit, a Shenandoah-based shoe store chain, will open its first Cedar Rapids store in mid-November at Collins Road Square Shopping Center.

The 100-year-old retail chain operates 79 stores in the Midwest and West, focusing on fit and high customer service, said Steve Ruzek, secretary-treasurer of the company.

"In a lot of communities, people come to us when their feet are hurting," Ruzek said. "We will bring a lot of brand to market and will special order anything."

The chain traces its roots to a nine-foot-wide store opened by founder Win Brown in 1911 in downtown Shenandoah. Brown was so determined to succeed that he ordered hundreds of empty boxes to give the illusion of having more inventory than he could afford, Ruzek said.

One key to the chain's success has been the involvement of owner-managers, Ruzek said. Each store manager has partial ownership of the store, giving them a stronger stake in its financial success. He said managers also have the independence to inventory the store according to what they determine to be the greatest need in the market.

Rhonda Swanson, currently manager of the Brown's Shoe Fit in Oskaloosa, will oversee the Cedar Rapids store.

Brown's Shoe Fit will take over a  4,200-square-foot space in Collins Road Square that was formerly part of the Furniture Row stores, according to Jim Angstman of Skogman Commercial, who handled the lease. He said roughly 20,000 square feet of space in the center remains available. Lease discussions are ongoing with an women's apparel retailer and Indian cuisine restaurant.