FRIEND REQUEST: YVONNE SHOFROTH & KIM PAPPAS OF BARNEY’S HUB BOOTERY

Barney’s Hub Bootery has had many changes since it was first established in 1949. Yvonne Shofroth and Kim Pappas are now running the show, and are passionate about customer satisfaction as well as maintaining a healthy work-life balance. LOCAL 219 had the pleasure of learning more about the change in ownership and their ability to operate well as a team. 

LOCAL 219: Was it circumstances, childhood influences, or hobbies that led you to these positions?

Yvonne Shofroth: I would think it was more circumstances. John, the original owner that we took over for, he was never married and never had kids, so Kim and I both worked for him. Me, 16 years, and her 21 years.

Five years ago, with the building being sold, that kind of jump started us with the idea of asking, “Okay, what’s the next step?” John wanted to retire, and he knew my passion. So he came to me, and another gentleman at the time, and we agreed to both take over the business.

It was a year’s process until we moved here; that was in 2017 and I took over.

Kim Pappas: I was gone for a little while, but I would come back and work periodically. We moved back completely in 2018.

YS: We just kind of picked back up like nothing was ever lost between the two of us. We’ve always worked really well together. My partner at the time decided this wasn’t for him and Kim fell right into place with ease. So she’s been in this position about a year and a half now.

L219: Good for you guys! I don’t think a lot of little girls wake up and think, “Someday I want to own and run a shoe store.”

KP: I never would have thought this was going to be my future career.

L219: I think it really helps to have people you can work well with, with similar temperaments. You have to understand one another’s work styles.

KP: I truly believe that John made the family of Hub Bootery, the way it was, for a reason.

YS: We’ve always had long-term employees, honestly.

L219: That’s hard to find now-a-days, and I think it really says something about the ownership when you do have employee loyalty there.

YS: We want them to love to come to work, and we want to love to work with them as well.

L219: What gets you guys out of bed in the morning?

YS: Well, I have to get my son up for school, and then after I get him up and ready, I go work out and kind of start ‘Me’ for the day.

KP: Yeah, I get our son up too and get him moving, then all his friends all come to our house to get a ride to school. Then I get ready for work and come here.

L219: So, the responsibilities of life. Who do you feel has had the biggest influence in your lives?

KP: I feel like John Dockus, the previous owner.

YS: Yes, definitely.

KP: Workwise and spiritually too, and then our spouses.

YS: Yes, our husbands. For sure.

L219: What has been the biggest lesson learned that you feel would benefit others while working at Barney’s Hub Bootery?

KP: Oh, I would say definitely, patience. You must have lots and lots of patience and understanding.

YS: Also, running a business doesn’t have to be a man’s world.

KP: No, it doesn’t.

YS: You can bend with the times, easily.

L219: I feel like we’ve been seeing an increasing number of entrepreneurial women saying, “You know what, I can do this too. I can learn the financials, and the various aspects of running a business.” I think that can be daunting sometimes, especially for women, on top of the demands at home.

YS: Oh, it is. Yeah, and it kind of teaches you how to run your home life as well because we like to leave work at work and home at home.

L219: That’s important. There needs to be a separation there.

KP: I went to school for business, and I feel like I learn more here every single day.

YS: You learn how to talk to people differently. You can tell from employee to employee what works per person, with customers that we see quite often, or new customers that we don’t. We build relationships with everyone.

L219: I think that’s key: that you learn how to feel people out, and realize that different things drive different people. As soon as people walk in, you start reading them and question, “What’s the temperament? What is their body language communicating?”

YS: Yes, you analyze, and for us it’s from the toe up.

KP: We don’t make eye contact; we make shoe contact first because ultimately that’s what they’re here for.

L219: Yes! You want to make sure their feet leave happy. What do you enjoy most about being in this industry and working in this building specifically?

KP: I actually like being on this strip. The square was fun. Yeah, we had more foot traffic at the square, but it was also a bear to deal with. Parking was really bad.

YS: This is more accessible to everyone no matter what their need is, but I just enjoy people.

KP: Yep, that’s what I was gonna say too. I just enjoy being out here on the floor. We were talking about this earlier. There are times when we just don’t want to be at the desk.

You want to be with the people. Even though sometimes it can be stressful at times, it still just kind of revives you a little bit.

L219: I completely agree. I think there’s something really important about human connection. There are times I’m behind my laptop 90% of the day and I leave thinking about how I spent more time with a machine than I did a human, and that wears on your soul a bit.

YS: It does, it does. I feel like also, our customers need to see our faces now. It’s not the previous owner anymore who’s around and everybody knows his face. You know, so it is, it’s important for us to be out there too. To talk to everyone even if it’s just a “hello.”

We work as a team to make sure you’re happy when you walk in the door and out the door, because we want to build a relationship with you that leaves you wanting to come back.

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Enjoying our ‘FRIEND REQUEST’ series? Check out the conversation LOCAL 219 had with Cody Wallenius of Sure Fire Tattoos here.