For the last nine years of its 102-year existence, Tradehome Shoes has taken its unique story for both customers and employees to another level.

Serving the kids market can be tough. And it’s not just that the stock demands are high (all those sizes!), margins thin and the market competitive — although all those things can be true. Kids stores have two different sets of customers to impress: Style-conscious kids, and their features...

Reaching the 100-year mark surely takes vision, commitment and hard work. Unquestionably it also takes skill, instincts and flexibility. Even more so, it demands all those qualities not just once, but generation after generation.

When Brendan Madigan first began working at Tahoe City, CA, mountain shop Alpenglow Sports in 2003, he was a self-described “part-time employee and mostly full-time ski bum.”