Family-owned footwear retailer Shoe Show, Inc. has appointed Chase Tucker as senior vice president of merchandising, replacing John Walker, who recently retired from the post. Tucker is a grandson of Shoe Show founders Robert and Carolyn Tucker. He brings extensive knowledge of the business to his new role, having spent more than 20 years with his family’s company, working in retail operations, distribution, sourcing, planning, and most recently, as the men’s buyer for the North Carolina–based chain, which comprises more than 1,000 locations across 47 states.
“Stepping into this role as a third-generation family member is both an honor and a responsibility,” says Tucker. “I’ve had the privilege of learning from the generations before me, watching my grandfather’s entrepreneurial spirit and my father’s commitment early on.” He says his relatives, including his aunt and uncle, helped to “instill the importance of hard work, humility, and putting the people first” in his own approach to work.
Tucker also credits his family with building a strong foundation of value, community, and service at Shoe Show Inc., which was established in 1960 and includes not just Shoe Show stores but also Shoe Dept., Shoe Dept. Encore, Shoe Show Mega, Burlington Shoes, and Half-Moon Outfitters stores.
He hopes to balance respect for the retailer’s history with helping to shape its next chapter. “My goal is to build on the foundation my family established while bringing fresh perspective, new ideas, and a focus on where our customers and industry are headed,” he says. “Ultimately, this role means carrying on a family legacy, but also earning it every day through leadership, collaboration, and making decisions that position the business for continued long-term success. We will continue to put the consumer first and make it about the product. We have a great team of merchants and great vendor partners that make this job fun.”
You could say Chase Tucker has spent a lifetime preparing for his latest role. His unofficial first job with the company was as a secret shopper at age seven. “My earliest memory is of out-of-state store visits—mini-vacations, as we called them—on the road with my father. He would send my mother, brother, and me into the stores a couple of minutes before he went in, so he could see how the employees greeted us before he, the district manager, would come in,” Tucker recalls. He also remembers being in elementary school and choosing to spend the day shadowing his grandfather at work for a class assignment. “I found his day fascinating,” he says. “When I look back, I am so thankful he was able to make that time for me. They are great memories that have stuck with me.”
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