Page 36 - 4650 50th Anniversary Book Final

Put On Your Dancin’ Shoes

For 40 years locals and tourists have shopped
Shoe Center where customer service and quality
footwear at competitive prices have been the
hallmarks of the business.
G Gladys Pearce, a pioneering woman on a mission
to establish the first full service independent
shoe store in North Myrtle Beach founded Shoe
Center in 1978. As it is now customer service was
top priority, and her store was stocked with fash-
ionable and casual footwear for men and women
with the help of one of her first sales reps, Mike
P Parnell, who quickly became her steadfast friend.
Little did Mike know how his destiny would
evolve from their relationship.
Remarkably, Gladys had the vision that the
“home of the shag dance” needed dance shoes
so she found a company in the USA that would
make dance flats. The company made her first
flat which she named “SHAG”, still one of the top
FREE CUSTOMER APPRECIATION CONCERT.... Photo by Jim James sellers today.
I Ironically, when Gladys decided to retire in 1998,
it was her friend, Mike Parnell, who bought the
business and continued her mission of making
September through October 10, 2018
customer service top priority. Mike moved Shoe
40 YEARS OVER 40 DAYS Center forward by adding Euro comfort brands,
WITH 40 GIVE-A-WAYS! leading name brand fashion footwear, AND ex-
panded the dance line by adding five more
ENTER TO WIN dan
dance shoe manufacturers with whom he helped
design dance shoes based on customer input.
Mike worked with sales reps to create new looks
in men’s loafers, and added comfort footwear for
those with foot pathologies and those who stand
all day with their jobs.
And today you will still find Mike, his wife,
Ginger, and their knowledgeable Shoe Center
staff on the sales floor doing what they love best:
Serving their customers, locals, and tourists, who
mostly have become repeat customers through
the years.
M Mike has become known as a business owner
who gives back. He contributes to local charities
and fundraisers, helps sponsor events in our
community, hosts two free Customer Apprecia-
tion Concert Series held every April and Septem-
MIKE PARNELL
ber at his store, and takes his travel store on the
road to various hometown communities where
Gladys Pearce Shag Clubs host events.

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