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.
The Footwear Retailer
Our Stores Got Hacked: How Schuler Shoes Survived a $250,000 Ransomware Attack
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Most independent retailers think a cyberattack won’t happen to them — until it does. In this episode, Pete Mohr sits down with Mike Schuler, fourth-generation owner of Schuler Shoes, a family-owned footwear retailer with 10 stores across the Minneapolis area and 137 years in business, to talk through the ransomware attack that hit his stores over a Memorial Day weekend — while Mike himself was on vacation.
Mike walks through the first 24 hours: the call from his IT team, the decision (on his insurance provider’s advice) to shut the internet off entirely, keeping stores selling on backup card readers and phone hotspots, and the two-month process of getting the data back. He shares what the post-attack review found — a remote-access tool left over from the pandemic that had become a security hole — and the changes that followed: modern endpoint detection, multi-factor authentication, a password manager, and off-site backups. Pete shares his own parallel story, a 2018 ransomware attack on Shoe Topia. Both retailers land on the same bottom line: cyber insurance made the difference, and this wasn’t really about computers — it was about protecting the business.
👤 ABOUT GUEST — MIKE SCHULER
Mike Schuler is the fourth-generation owner of Schuler Shoes, a family-owned footwear retailer with 10 stores across the Minneapolis, Minnesota area, in business for 137 years. Following a 2026 ransomware attack, Mike led a significant overhaul of the company’s cybersecurity practices — including cyber liability insurance, modern endpoint detection, multi-factor authentication, and a company-wide password manager.
🔗 Connect with Mike Schuler & Schuler Shoes:
Website: https://www.schulershoes.com
👤 ABOUT PETE
Pete Mohr is a speaker, coach, podcaster, and author, and co-owner of Shoe Topia. He hosts The Footwear Retailer Podcast, sponsored by the NSRA (National Association of Shoe Retailers), where he talks with independent footwear retailers about the strategies, technology, and mindset shifts driving their businesses.
🔗 Connect with Pete Mohr:
Website: simplifyingentrepreneurship.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/petemohr
Podcast: thefootwearretailer.com
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The shift starts here.
This episode of The Footwear Retailer is proudly sponsored by the National Shoe Retailers Association.
NSRA supports independent footwear retailers with tools, connections, education, and resources to help you run a stronger business.
To learn more about the benefits of membership or to sign up, visit:
https://www.nsra.org/page/benefits
Pete Mohr is a longtime footwear retailer, business coach, and owner of two Shoetopia stores in Ontario, Canada, helping business owners build stronger companies that support a better life.
To learn more about Pete's programs and coaching or to book a free initial chat about your business goals, visit:
https://pete-mohr.com/
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