Mobile-Based Shoe Station Purchased by Shoe Carnival

Shoe Station store in Flowood, MS/Source: Shoe Station, Inc.

Mobile-based Shoe Station, Inc. announced Friday that all of its assets have been purchased by Shoe Carnival, Inc.

Shoe Carnival will operate all of Shoe Station’s 21 stores, including the ones in Montgomery and Prattville, under the Shoe Station name and will continue to have an online presence under the current website.

“We are excited to welcome Shoe Station to the Shoe Carnival team,” said Mark Worden, Shoe Carnival’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Brent and his team share our values and vision for the future of family footwear retail and we look forward to building on our joint success to grow together in the years ahead.”

Headquartered in Evansville, Indiana, Shoe Carnival is one of the largest family footwear retails in the country. Prior to Friday’s announcement, Shoe Carnival had 377 stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Shoe Carnival currently operates one store in the Montgomery area on Ann Street.

“Southeastern customers will continue to see Shoe Station signs in our 21 locations, and to experience the excellent service and selection they expect,” said Brent Barkin, who will continue to oversee the chain in his new role at Shoe Carnival as Senior Vice President of Business Development and Integration. In a letter to his employees, he wrote that Shoe Carnival “get(s) that we have a unique proposition and value to the customer, showcasing categories, trends, styles and brands in a way that makes us excel. They know we are different. And they love that about us.”

Shoe Station was founded in 1984 by Terry S. Barkin, a former Senior Vice President and General Merchandise Manager of Rich’s Department Stores. The footwear chain’s name was inspired by its first location, a large, former tire and battery store on the grounds of Bel Air Mall in Mobile.