Rack Room Shoes is an American

footwear Footwear refers to garments worn on the feet, which typically serve the purpose of protective clothing, protection against adversities of the environment such as wear from rough ground; stability on slippery ground; and temperature. *Shoes and si ...

retailer headquartered in Charlotte,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, which operates over 500 stores in 36 states under the Rack Room Shoes and Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse brands. The two brands offer a variety of styles for women, men and children in athletic, comfort and dress categories, as well as accessories, backpacks, shoe care items, and socks. The company also owns private label footwear brands including: Bjorndal, Bluefin, Cupcake Couture, Xappeal, Limelight, Restoration, Lauren Blakwell, Pesaro, West Harris, and Michael by Michael Shannon.

History

The company was founded in 1922 in

Salisbury, North Carolina Salisbury ( ) is a city in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County, North Carolina, Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. ...

by Phil Levinson, and originally had the name "Phil's Shoe". Levinson sold the stores to his son-in-law, Mort Lerner, who was the owner of Lerner's Shoes. Mort Lerner changed the name of the stores to Rack Room Shoes. In 1984, Rack Room Shoes was purchased by the privately held Deichmann Group of Germany, Europe's largest and most well-known shoe retailer. Rack Room Shoes purchased Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse in 2002 and completed merging its operating functions with those of Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse in 2021. The merger allows the retailer's customers to earn loyalty points through one program, shop one ecommerce site, and pick-up, return and exchange merchandise at either of the brands’ locations.

Company focus

In 2016, Rack Room Shoes launched the Athletic Shop, with an increased emphasis on its athletic offering. The Athletic Shop is a shop-within-a-shop concept in brick and mortar stores and e-commerce spaces.

References

{{Reflist Shoe companies of the United States American companies established in 1920 Retail companies established in 1920 Footwear retailers of the United States Companies based in Charlotte, North Carolina 1920 establishments in North Carolina