The Footwear Retailer
The Footwear Retailer Podcast is for independent shoe store owners and leaders who want a better business and a better life.
Hosted by Pete Mohr, owner of two Shoetopia stores in Canada, this show shares practical strategies, honest conversations, and real-world insights on leadership, inventory, team growth, profitability, and long-term success.
Proudly sponsored by the National Shoe Retailers Association, the podcast helps footwear retailers move from daily chaos to greater clarity, confidence, and freedom.
Episodes
24 episodes
Overcoming Procrastination
Everyone procrastinates, but it's important to avoid it as much as possible. In this episode, Pete explains why procrastination happens and how it can be overcome.Here are a few things Pete covers:Understanding the root cause...
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10:00
Empowering Your Team: The Key to Business Growth
In this episode, Pete Mohr discusses the importance of letting go of control in business to foster growth and empower teams. He emphasizes that many small business owners struggle with releasing control, which limits both their business's po...
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9:04
Financial Clarity That Builds Real Business Value with Dorothy Zubel
Most entrepreneurs think finance is about numbers—it’s really about decisions. In this episode, Pete Mohr talks with Dorothy Zubel, Co-Founder of The Finance Group, about the power of fractional finance and why clarity in your b...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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33:42
Graceful Goodbyes: Releasing Key Team Members
Letting go of a longtime team member is one of the toughest leadership challenges a business owner will ever face. In this episode, Pete Mohr explains why misalignment happens, how to recognize it, and the respect...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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7:16
Smarter Systems, Better Stores: Leveraging AI & Automation with Daniel Tadros
In this episode of The Footwear Retailer Podcast, Pete Mohr sits down with Daniel Tadros of 360 Retail Management to explore how independent footwear retailers can leverage automation, AI, and smart systems to sav...
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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35:16
Pickleball Boom: What Retailers Must Know with Steven Greenstein of PB5Star
Pickleball isn't just a sport anymore—it's a retail movement.In this episode, Pete Mohr sits down with Steven Greenstein, VP at PB5Star, to discuss how their biomechanics-first approach to footwear is turning heads—and turning inv...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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27:56
Spreading Happiness Through Socks: A Social Enterprise That Scales with Heart Guests
In this episode of The Footwear Retailer Podcast, Pete Mohr sits down with John and Mark Cronin, the father-son team behind John’s Crazy Socks. What started as a mission to find employment turned into a 4,000-SKU busines...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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32:47
Designing for Success: How Smart Retail Environments Boost Footwear Sales with Lyn Falk
What makes a customer want to stay, browse—and buy?In this episode of The Footwear Retailer Podcast, Pete Mohr sits down with retail strategist Lyn Falk of RetailWorks to talk about the psychology behind great...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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37:17
NextGen Footwear: Legacy, Leadership & Looking Ahead
What happens when the next generation returns to the family shoe store — not just to help, but to lead? In this episode, Pete Mohr is joined by Abba Carmichael (Abba Dabba’s), Jake Humphreys (Humphreys Bootery)...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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48:56
What Shoe Retailers Need to Measure (But Don’t)
If you’re tired of flying blind in your business, this episode is your cheat code. Pete Mohr is joined by Dan Holman—retail coach, POS expert, and founder of Retail by CRS—for a no-fluff conversation about the metrics, tools, and systems that i...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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51:06
Uniting the Independent: Navigating Retail Challenges with Terry Schalow of the RIA
In this episode of The Footwear Retailer Podcast, Pete Mohr sits down with Terry Schalow, Executive Director of the Running Industry Association (RIA), to explore how independent run specialty stores continue to grow—even amid inflation, tariff...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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30:05
From Family Legacy to Modern Retail: The Kunitz Shoes Story
In this episode of The Footwear Retailer Podcast, Pete Mohr sits down with siblings and second-generation owners Morgan and Everett Kunitz of Kunitz Shoes—a proudly independent retailer that’s scaled ...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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45:34
Turning Excess Inventory into Cash Flow: Smart Strategies for Footwear Retailers with Melodie van der Baan
In this episode, Melodie van der Baan, co-founder of MaxRetail, dives deep into one of retail’s most persistent challenges: excess inventory.Rather than starting with her background, Pete will immediately lead with a though...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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29:33
Mastering Inventory & Cash Flow: Retail Success Strategies with Dane Cohen
Pete Mohr welcomes Dane from Management One for a no-nonsense conversation about one of the most critical and misunderstood aspects of retail: inventory. They explore the difference between inventory management and inventory plann...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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39:49
How Footwear Stores Can Become Five-Mile Famous with Kody Fitzjerrells
Want more customers walking through your door? This episode is a masterclass in marketing for independent shoe store owners. Pete is joined by Kody Fitzjerrells, founder of Omni Digital Group, to unpack the biggest marketing mistakes<...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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42:10
What Makes a Shoe Store Sellable? The Metrics That Matter with Alan Miklofsky
In this powerful conversation, Pete Mohr sits down with industry legend Alan Miklofsky to unpack the real reasons some footwear retailers thrive—and others close their doors too soon. From building a business tha...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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46:53
Forging Bonds and Fueling Progress: Leadership Insights from Josh Habre
Struggling to grow your footwear retail business without getting overwhelmed? Josh Habre shares how he expanded from 6 to 15 stores, mastered acquisitions over openings, and built a leadership structure that fuels success. ...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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44:34
Growing Your Retail Roots: Social Media Strategies with Crystal Vilkaitis
Independent retailers struggle with declining foot traffic, social media overwhelm, and marketing fatigue. But what if there was a way to turn things around? In this episode, Pete Mohr sits down with social media expert Crystal Vilkai...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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46:10
Crafting Your Competitive Edge: The NSRA Blueprint for Footwear Retailers
Are you a footwear retailer looking for expert mentorship, networking opportunities, and business growth strategies? In this episode, Pete Mohr sits down with Mark Denkler, President of the National Shoe Retailers Association (NSRA), to discuss...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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43:42
Crafting Your Perfect Workday: The Best Job Blueprint for Footwear Retailers
Do you ever feel drained at work or stuck in a routine that doesn’t align with your strengths? It doesn’t have to be this way. In this episode of The Footwear Retailer Podcast, Pete Mohr introduces the Best Job Blueprint, a strategic t...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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19:45
Delivering the Perfect Purchase: Sales Success with Bob Negen
In this episode of The Footwear Retailer Podcast, Pete Mohr welcomes retail expert Bob Negen of WhizBang! Retail Training. They discuss how independent retailers can thrive by creating a customer-first culture, mastering sales techniqu...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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47:15
Leadership and Onboarding for Retail Success with Mark Wagner
In this episode, Pete Mohr speaks with Mark Wagner, a sixth-generation retailer and HR Director at Shoe Fly, about how to lead and scale a successful retail business. Learn how Mark integrates legacy with innovation, creates impactful onboardin...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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42:49
The Business Value Blueprint: Mastering the 6 Ps of Retail Success
What is your business worth? For many footwear retailers, the answer isn’t clear. In this episode of The Footwear Retailer Podcast, Pete Mohr introduces the Business Value Blueprint, a practical framework to align your operation...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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20:48
Introduction - How to Simplify Retail Chaos and Build a Profitable Shoe Store
In this very first episode of The Footwear Retailer Podcast, host Pete Mohr dives into the challenges of running a shoe store and how you can take back control of your business. Learn how to simplify the chaos, implement proven strateg...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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6:12
