OUR HISTORY

What began as a small shoe store in Salisbury, N.C. in the 1920s has evolved into one of the fastest-growing shoe retailers in the nation. In 1922, owner Phil Levinson dreamed of giving customers great service and great shoes at a fair price. Today, Rack Room Shoes continues that tradition of quality and service in neighborhoods across the country.

The commitment to customers began with Levinson and his son-in-law, Mort Lerner, in the 1950s as their operation of one store expanded to become a small chain.

By the early 1980s, Lerner's chain had grown even more, most of them known as Phil's Shoes (from the original owner) but with a few opening under the open stock concept as Rack Room Shoes. It was a name that would stick.

In 1984, Deichmann Schuhe of Germany, the largest privately held shoe retailer in the world, made its first investment in the United States by buying Lerner's chain. Through the direction and expertise of Deichmann Schuhe, Rack Room Shoes began a period of accelerated growth; relocating its U.S. headquarters to a 72,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility in Charlotte N.C. Today, Rack Room Shoes has over 300 stores located in 24 states.


Rack Room Shoes is more than the small shop Levinson opened in Salisbury almost a century ago, but the local touch, quality shoes and fair prices remain unchanged.