What Stores Are Eligible?
All Independently owned shoe stores.

Who Nominates Stores?
• Stores can nominate themselves.
• Stores can be nominated by industry colleagues.
• Stores can be nominated by sponsoring companies.

How do I nominate a store?
Email us here: jnott@formula4media.com‍

‍Execution
‍Footwear Insight, working with Franklin Retail Solutions, mystery shops and rates top footwear specialty stores in the United States. Each store will be graded on more than 24 criteria (beginning with the greeting and extending through the fitting process, selection, all the way through to checkout). The scores are processed and the top stores are recognized in a special report published in Footwear Insight. The store with the highest score will be featured on the cover. This is a highly read feature as stores see how they measured up against the criteria and the other top stores in the country. Each store that achieves the Gold Medal Service Award recognition will receive promotional signage and a social media toolkit recognizing its achievement so it can promote that honor to its customers and their community.

‍Have a store you'd like to nominate?
‍Mystery shopping of stores will begin early fall. Featured in Footwear Insight’s Nov/Dec 2026 Gold Medal Service Awards issue.