Footwear Insight

Family Ties (left to right): Brian Goldsmith, Mark Goldsmith, Jerry Levin, Tracy Goldsmith Lisk. held approach to the family business that is now helmed by his son-in- law Mark Goldsmith, president, and grandchildren Brian Goldsmith and Tracy Goldsmith Lisk as a VP and e-commerce director, respectively, has been to provide the customers with what they want. Specialize and Adapt to Survive at methodology, in many ways, has helped Lebo's maintain its vitality and relevance for a century. Over the years, the family operation, currently with six freestanding stores averaging 6,000 to 10,000-sq.-. in size, has ven- tured into dancewear, work footwear, English riding boots, square dance apparel and cowboy boots, always maintaining an assortment of hard-to- find sizes and widths for its customers. When the foray into English riding boots, apparel and equipment com- menced, Lebo's proudly proclaimed, "We sell everything but the horse," in advertising. "In order to survive, you need to specialize," opines Levin, who served as Chairman of the National Shoe Retailers Association from 1995 to 1997 and created the Barbette Footwear and Dancewear collection of ballet, tap, jazz, clogging, square-danc- ing shoes, and tights. Besides Lebo's, the line was sold elsewhere in the U.S. and internationally. Levin also created and launched Colorama Dance Costumes by Lebo's to distribute in local dance studios. With appeal for the dance products stretching to Atlanta and Savannah in nearby Georgia, Lebo's printed and distrib- uted 5,000 dancewear catalogs for distribution throughout the U.S. and took booth space at national dance trade shows to increase interest in the products. Brian Goldsmith, Jerry's grandson who began his Lebo's career in its warehouse, agrees with his grandfather about specialization but also believes "adaptability" is a key to survival for a fourth-generation family business. In recent months and years that malle- ability has shied to becoming more of a "comfort footwear" business and removing "hot items" off its website for sale only in brick-and-mortar locations. "We always listen to our customers. It matters what they want," says Brian, a North Carolina State graduate and former Northwestern Mutual em- ployee who le the insurance business to join the family operation in 2008. Today, his son and daughter, Jonah and Sydney, and Tracy's daughter, Sadie, would be the fih generation to work in the family business. Brian's educa- tion and knowledge of the footwear business accelerated when his grand- father decided to send him to New York to learn and become a certified pedorthist to better address the foot ailments of customers with orthotics and foot lis. While Lebo's has a large multi-gen- erational customer base in North Carolina's Piedmont region, Brian says it's difficult to pinpoint a single target customer for the banner given its specialized assortments in dancewear, western boots, and work. In footwear only, Lebo's has modified its approach from strictly an all-encompassing size and width specialist to more of a comfort footwear store. e range today includes everything from ath- letic and comfort sandals to work and western offerings. Hot brands today include On, Hoka, Brooks, Ariat, Timberland, Wolverine, Durango, Dan Post and Laredo. Evolving Strategy Over Time Along with the changing times, the traditional newspaper advertising the store used to do has given way to direct mail pieces, radio, digital and events, including a four-day extravaganza from Oct. 17 to 21 to celebrate Lebo's 100th anniversary. When Jerry Levin began his long reign leading Lebo's in 1949, George Orwell's dystopian novel, 1984, was "In order to survive, you need to specialize." footwearinsight.com September/October 2023 ~ Footwear Insight • 45

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