My Story
It Started With a Walk
Kingsport Shoe Company didn’t begin with a business plan. It started during my six-mile morning walks with my dogs, when I had a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do next—and what kind of work actually mattered to me. Retail had been part of my life since I was 16. Over the years, I worked in specialty retail, footwear, operations, and as a District Manager. I loved the pace, the people, the problem-solving, and the simple satisfaction of helping someone walk out the door happier than when they came in.
What I loved less were the layers that could sometimes come between the customer and the reason I fell in love with retail in the first place. Somewhere along the way, I realized I didn’t want to leave retail. I wanted to get back to the part of it I loved most. I began to see just how many performance, comfort, and specialty footwear needs in the Tri-Cities weren’t being met locally.
It wasn’t really about selling shoes. It was about listening to someone, figuring out what they needed, and seeing the difference when they finally stepped into something that felt right. Somewhere between those morning miles, those customer conversations, and moments like that one, Kingsport Shoe Company began to take shape.
In a way, KSC was built one step at a time—through thousands of miles walked, countless hours thinking, and a growing understanding of just how much the right footwear can change the way we move through life.
Walking/running has changed my life. And I know I would not have been able to cover those miles without understanding what the right shoe could do for me. That experience made the mission personal.
KSC is built around a simple idea: fit the person, not just the shoe. I wanted to create the kind of store I believe this community deserves—independent, welcoming, knowledgeable, and centered on the individual. A place where technology like 3D foot scanning can give us useful information, but where listening to the customer still matters most. Whether you run, walk, or spend all day on your feet, my goal is for you to leave knowing what fits and why. Because the right shoe can change a lot more than what’s on your feet.
Service that starts with listening
At Kingsport Shoe Company, the fitting process starts with a conversation. We want to understand how you move, what you do every day, what has or hasn’t worked for you before, and what you need from your footwear.
From there, we combine personal attention with 3D foot scanning, gait and pressure analysis, and a thoughtfully curated selection of footwear to help narrow the choices and find what truly works for you.
No pressure. No one-size-fits-all answer. Just knowledgeable guidance, honest recommendations, and a fitting experience centered on the person standing in front of us.