April 15, 2024

Chet's Shoes, LLC | 763.253.1062 | Main Office: 8870 Rendova St NE, Circle Pines, MN 55014

Important Updates

As a small, family-owned business, Chet's Shoes has been proudly serving the Twin-Cities area since 1947 and will continue that legacy. Along with our excellent team of employees, Chet's Shoes has provided its hard working customers with quality service and premium, safety footwear brands over the span of many years. Chet's Shoes appreciates your loyalty and knows we would not have been in business for 77 years without you. That said, Chet's Shoes wants to provide some background information and update its customers with current news and plans going forward.

Chet's Shoes

Chet's Shoes, Inc. began as a family business in 1947 by Chet Latawiec, Sr. and is currently run by Chet Jr. Since the passing of our founder, Chet Sr., 14 years ago, Red Wing Shoes, one of the main vendors of Chet's Shoes for many years, began to move toward a model of encouraging its shoe customers to sell only Red Wing Shoes. However, the Chet's Shoes customer base historically preferred multiple lines of footwear. As a result, Chet Jr.'s children, Katelyn, Nathan, and Emily, formed Chet's Shoes, LLC in 2020 to sell multi brand shoes other than Red Wing shoes. Some of these brands include Thorogood, Timberland PRO, KEEN Utility, Danner, Reebok, and many more premium footwear options. Chet's Shoes, LLC does not sell Red Wing shoes and Chet's Shoes, LLC will continue to use customized billing to meet the individual needs of its customers.

Chet's Shoes, Inc.

Recently Red Wing's insistence on having Red Wing only stores has resulted in Chet's Shoes, Inc. deciding to sell its stores to new ownership, who would accommodate Red Wing's new business model. As a result, Chet's Shoes, Inc. has sold its Coon Rapids, St. Cloud, Columbia Heights, and Bloomington Red Wing stores.

Chet's Shoes, LLC

Chet's Shoes, LLC, however, presently has two mobile footwear stores, owns and operates the Spring Lake Park Chet's Shoes store, offers Industrial Footwear Programs, and an online store (chetsshoes.com). Chet's Shoes, LLC is developing plans to open the Circle Pines store as a non-Red Wing store as well.

Customized Billing

Chet's Shoes, LLC has had its own successful and easy to use purchasing and billing process since it opened, and that process will be expanded to handle the additional store and any new mobile shoe trucks as well. None of this will be impacted by the policies Red Wing used.

Chet's Retirement

During the past few years, Chet, Jr. has himself been contemplating retirement, and the sales of the above-referenced stores are part of his planned retirement. As described above, those sold stores are under new ownership and operation. Those stores are no longer associated with Chet's Shoes, Inc., and are not associated with Chet's Shoes, LLC.

Future Operations

Even though Chet's Shoes, Inc. has been in business for so many decades, and had a long-standing relationship with Red Wing shoes, Red Wing is suddenly terminating its relationship with Chet's Shoes, Inc. as of April 15, 2024. All of the new operations will be handled through Chet's Shoes, LLC, and does not include the sales of Red Wing shoes.

Circle Pines Store

As described above, Chet's Shoes, LLC is in the process of planning to open the Circle Pines store as a Chet's Shoes, LLC store—without selling Red Wing shoes. We understand this may be a sudden change, but want you—our customers—to know that Chet's Shoes, LLC will have a large range of footwear options to better serve you. We plan to carry Thorogood, Timberland PRO, KEEN Utility, Danner, Carolina, Reebok, and many more premium footwear brands to ensure the best fit possible.

Our Customers

Going forward, we want you to know that YOU ARE OUR PRIORITY and we promise to provide our best service to you and your employees. Chet's Shoes, LLC is not going anywhere, and we will be here with the same great people you have known and worked with over the years along with an excellent variety of competitively priced industrial brands to ensure the best fit and care.

Again, thank you for your business. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. If your company is scheduled with a Red Wing truck after April 15, we will send one of our multi-brand trucks in its place or reach out and reschedule if necessary. Please contact Tony Vescio with any questions regarding truck visits: (763) 253-1062 / tony@chetsshoes.com.

Sincerely,

The Chet's Shoes, LLC Family

"If the shoe fits, you've been to Chet's!"