TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Businesses everywhere are eager for the holiday shopping season to put an exclamation point on their annual sales. For local, small businesses, the anticipation is even greater. This long-time Twin Falls shoe store continues to deliver specialized service and a range of products that keep them at the top of the list for those who shop local.
- Hudson's Shoes was founded in 1931, its original store was on Main Avenue in Twin Falls.
- The store opened several locations, including the present one in the Lynwood Mall in 1957.
- Owner Karly Trease was once an employee: she bought the store two years ago, after working for more than a decade for Bob and Marylin Rowe
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
"For our area, we were the only store like this," said Karly Trease, owner of Hudson's Shoes.
There's only a handful of places like Hudson's Shoes in Twin Fall — a small independent business specializing in a wide range of premium products
The store has been in this Lynwood Mall location since 1957, and Trease braced for the onrush of Black Friday and Small Business Saturday holiday shopping.
"We want to be that one-stop shop for work footwear, athletic shoes, fashion shoes," Trease said. "But really what sets us apart is that we do a lot of training for our staff. So, we can fit shoes properly and also help people find the right shoes for whether their feet hurt, what ailments they have, or if they just need something specific."
Trease was an employee and manager here for 15 years before buying the store two years ago.
She tells me there's a legacy of Hudson's employees becoming Hudson's owners.
"Bob owned the store before I did, and he started with Hudson shoes right out of high school," Trease said. "Bob Rowe was with Hudson's for 57 years and spent more than 30 years as owner with his wife Marylin. They ingrained that into me, and then I'm able to train our staff to know how to measure feet, and wait on customers and help with certain problems — plantar fasciitis or neuropathy — things like that and what shoes work well for those things.
"There are lots of other great stores you can buy shoes, and we just kind of hope to be that first stop, support local," Trease continued. "And we still have great deals going on here for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday and so we just hope that people will look here first."
