ustomers are the most important people in any
business. That's the lesson Gary Houser learned when he began his shoe
career working for 'International Shoe Corporation' while going to college
in Charlotte, NC. He worked part time in stock and sales. He soon worked
his way up to assistant manager.
Eventually, he was offered the manager position
at 'Phillip Shoes' in the Charlotte Town Mall - Charlotte, NC. Gary
was relocated several times to manage stores: Once to Asheville, NC and
then to Charleston, WV. After paying his dues, he was transferred back
to Charlotte, NC as district manager of International Shoe Company.
An opportunity came about in 1973 where Gary and a
few partners could buy into a 3 store lease operation. The department
store was called Bon Marche, located in Asheville, NC. After
having success in those three locations, Gary decided to venture out on
his own.
The first 'Houser Shoes' opened in Gastonia,
NC in 1976. Houser Shoes is a 11 store operation, being one of the southeast’s largest
independent retailers, and is still owned and operated by Gary Houser.
In 2000, Gary and his daughter, Beth, opened "GB Shoe Warehouse" - one of the southeast's largest shoe stores.
This 35,000 square foot concept store, consists of all brand names at prices up to 75% off regular department store prices.
Gary and Beth offer a huge selection all under one roof.
Around the same time, Houser Shoes ventured into the e-commerce market with the development of a website and online store. In 2004, HouserShoes.com was taken to the next level with the hiring of an in-house webmaster. The website continues to grow with an expanding product base and the addition of new features; all with you, our customer, in mind.
Currently, there are approximately 150 people
employed with Houser Shoes. We are a small company that believes in
making our people feel special. We realize that our staff is the
backbone of our existence and that our customers have faces and names - not just
numbers.
And that's why you'll find friendly, welcoming
employees at all the Houser Shoes stores and in our online customer service department; Yes, the kind of people who will make your
shopping experience a real pleasure.
The Story of Houser Shoes
