12 • Footwear Insight ~ January/February 2021 footwearinsight.com
RETAIL
STRAIGHT TALK
By Bob McGee
C
hiappetta
Shoes, entering
its centennial
anniversary
year, has a CEO
in Anthony
Chiappetta who
is forward-thinking, optimistic yet
refreshingly blunt about the present
and future of U.S. independent
shoe retailers. We spoke with
"Chips" about surviving in a
business climate dampened by
the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Concerned about the need for shoe
independents to stay connected
to one another, he created and
launched the 'Shoe Dogs United'
group on Facebook in 2017 that now
counts more than 4,000 members
and has become a resource for
shoe retailers to share ideas, ask
questions and vent.
Anthony and his younger brother,
Nick, operate the single-door
operation owned by their parents,
Frederick and Lori Chiappetta. The
business was named Small Business
of the Year in 2018 by a local
Wisconsin business alliance and
has been honored multiple times
as a Footwear Insight Gold Medal
Service Award winner.
We caught up with Chiappetta
before the holidays to get his
thoughts on a number of key issues
and trends for his business and the
Catching Up with Anthony Chiappetta of Chiappetta Shoes in Kenosha, WI.
Brothers Nick and
Tony Chiappetta.
