Page 156 - BWM March 2013

156 | Business World Magazine | March 2013
When one wants shoes inMinnesota, wheth-
er it is something stylish for St. Paul’s festive
Fashion Week, something warm and snug-
gly for those cold winter nights, something
to sport at games with the Twins or Vikings,
or something more rugged for camping and
fishing among those 10,000 lakes, there is one
source for all variety of shoe styles and it is
known as Schuler Shoes. Among the largest,
yet most distinguished as the oldest of fam-
ily-owned shoe enterprises west of the Mis-
sissippi, Schuler Shoes began in 1889 when
Vincent Schuler opened his first store at the
intersection of Washington and Broadway
in Minneapolis. Vincent’s wife, Henrietta,
dutifully assisted her husband with store
functions and a newspaper of that era once
reported how she diligently maintained a di-
ary detailing the day-to-day operations, as
well as transitions in the weather.
Of course, today, it might require several
journals to account of daily processes (not
to mention a few computers). Minnesota
weather may be what it always has been, but
Schuler Shoes has transitioned into one of
the most dynamic operations in its indus-
try, providing customers with a vast range
of style and brand options at any of its eight