Footwear Insight launched the Gold Medal Service Awards in 2015 in order to identify – and reward – the independent stores that elevate service to an art form. The good news is we found them — and they are thriving. This year, more than 120 shops were nominated by themselves or their vendor partners. (For this award, independently owned shoe stores and regional chains in the U.S. with a significant shoe business were eligible.) After evaluation, 124 were mystery shopped by Franklin Retail Solutions, a leading retail consultant firm. Seventy-eight stores made the cut and were named GMSA winners. Shopped stores were rated on a list of criteria and stores scoring a 70 or above were named Gold Medal Service Award winners. In 2018, four stores scored perfect 100s — or above, thanks to the bonus questions! — and were named the Waldlaufer Waldy Award winners for the year:

Chandler's Walk Shoppe

Salt Lake City, Utah / Year Founded: 2000

“I’m a certified pedorthist and a physical therapist and I’ve made orthotics for 32 years, so when we started the store I was very familiar with the need. We’re very hands-on, very customer satisfaction driven. Everyone tries on the new shoes to get a sense for how they’re fitting, whether they’re fitting shallow or full, long or short. We have an investment in staff: We can’t lose that knowledge. Obviously we’re not perfect, but we try to turn those times we aren’t perfect into learning experiences.” — Skip Chandler, Owner

Modern Shoe

Provo, Utah / Year Founded: 1940

“Modern Shoe was founded in 1940 as a repair shop. I started in 1974. I worked here through junior high, high school and college. I was bored in the corporate world as a programmer, so in 1989 I bought the business. We go way beyond — we’re experts in what we do. I’m a certified pedorthist, we have other certified pedorthists as well, and our customers get a lot of service here they can’t get elsewhere. We’re better than the average store because that’s our heritage.” — Tony Thomas, Owner

Walking Comfort

Centerville, Utah / Year Founded: 2010

“We’re a little bit different than other independents, a lot of whom who have been inherited from family or have been doing it for 50 years. I had worked for a number of years in the tech industry for Intel. We wanted to open a store with the best brands, to have the best selection and, most importantly, the best experience. We want it to be like the Disneyland of shoes. We’re trying to grow in all aspects — not just our store and not online, we want to grow our stores and online and even the products we’re making ourselves.” — Bryce Anderson, Founder and President

Tops For Shoes

Asheville, North Carolina / Year Founded: 1952

“Customer service is our highest priority. We take it very seriously; we’ve been doing it from the beginning — I’m the third generation — and I’m just carrying it on. We want to create an experience and guide you through the experience. A lot of the people who work here have been doing this for 20 or 30 years, and it’s become second nature to them, and that makes it part of the company culture. The younger staff learn from watching the vets.” — Alex Carr, Owner