The Shoe Box — Local services in Black Earth

The Shoe Box carries shoes from over 180 companies. They stock an incredible inventory of kids, athletic, Western and casual shoes in a mind-blowing array of sizes and styles. As a soccer dad, I also appreciate that I can always find all the gear my daughter needs when the season kicks off.

The employees of the store live and breathe "Service like it oughta be" philosophy. They are friendly, energetic, attentive and knowledge. They also measure your foot and ask informed questions on what you are looking for. They display incredible patience, even when dealing with the most indecisive of customer (insert my daughter's name here).

Be forewarned, this store gets slammed on weekends. However, I never wait more than a couple of minutes to be served - they always seem to have enough staff on hand to deal with the thongs of customers that come walking though their doors.

The prices are generally better than what you can find locally and are on par with the on-line shoe retailers.

Pro tip: Many area employers have a discount program with the Shoe Box that gives you and additional 10% the already low prices. If your employer does not have a discount program, see if they will set one up. And if that approach does not work, scan the local paper for 10% off coupons.

If great selection, service and prices are not enough to draw you in, the walls are literally covered with cool sports and historical memorabilia that keeps me occupied when my daughter is trying on her 10th pair of sneakers. Other great attributes: Free wi-fi, kid movies playing on TVs in the children's section of the store and weekend brat fries.

The only down sides I can come up with is that finding parking can be difficult on weekends and the selection of dress shoes is average. But that does not tarnish the fact that The Shoe Box offers a five-star experience to those willing to make the drive to...

From over 2 Hours away we Visited in person, The Shoe Box, Monday afternoon, went today specifically for work boots for husband and new tennis shoes for myself. Given the policy of the store, you have someone helping you. A Young man named Aaron was helping my husband and after the second pair, you could see that something was bothering Aaron, after the trying on the 3rd pair, my husband and son apologized to Aaron, who's job it is to get you the shoes you desire to try on, apologized for him the boots not fitting the way he'd hoped they would. With the 4th pair that didn't fit, Aaron said we don't have any in that size and walked away. We went for boots mind you, that was the purpose of the trip. It was obvious by his attitude, lack of professionalism, courtesy and customer service, we ended up leaving, without boots or shoes. I told the cashier Barbie, who then spoke to Jill the person I ended up speaking to on the phone after we left. She knew who I was because Barbie told her, she immediately, as I was speaking, continued Yep, yes, yep, yes yes I Know who you are, yes yes ,yes I know, Barbie told me, All as I was speaking and trying to tell her our story and how it bothered me so much, I was calling. Well, he was helping more than just your husband. Okay yes, That is absolutely understandable, that wasn't my issue, he was just being outright rude and acting put out to have to help. Jill said I would like to send you a gift certificate and hope you give us another chance. I said we would have liked to have gotten it done today and owning 2 businesses ourselves, I would want to know if I had an employee who didn't care about people that still took the time to drive in and visit my store. Especially in...

My last visit had help from Aaron. He listened to exactly what I needed, offered some of his advice, and then came back with the perfect chore boots for me. Jared has also been really helpful.

Since it's later in winter, boots had also just gone on sale. When shoes and boots go on sale, there is a decent discount, so don't be surprised if your exact size is unavailable.

Feet change over time, so they'll re-measure your feet each time (when it's not a pandemic). From measuring each time I also learned that our feet are usually slightly different-sized.

There's also a side parking lot, on the other side of the road, for the "Bargain Box". A picture of the building is on their web site. Hit up the Bargain Box for a warehouse of clearance deals. Between the Bargain Box and The Shoe Box, they offer 180 brands.

The Shoe Box is a local Black Earth staple. They actively donate to local sports and charities. When we have warmer weather, their weekend brat fry benefits a number of local causes.

People drive to The Shoe Box from all over southern WI (and IL). They'll hit up Rookies (memorabilia sports bar) to eat nearby. From there the WI River is only a few more minutes on Hwy 78.

When people talk about Black Earth, they talk about The Shoe Box. The owner of The Shoe Box owns other businesses, shown on their site. All of his businesses are just as polished as this one. They're a family business and the owner's daughters are regularly working when I visit.

The Shoe Box is the only place I'll go for shoes,...