Felger Accepts Position on National Board

Established in 1991, Felger’s Footwear has become a household name in the Houma area, priding itself on being a family-centered small business with a commitment to making the process of   shoes not simply a transaction, but a chance to build personal relationships with the local community.

Now, as the store approaches its 30th anniversary of operation this year in the midst of a pandemic that has rattled small businesses across the country, longtime owner Brenda Felger is taking on a new role with the National Shoe Retailers Association’s (NSRA) Board of Directors and carrying over that relational approach to serve as a mentor to other shoe retailers nationwide. 

“I’ll be using my background for the past 30 years and helping other retailers just like me – smaller retailers,” Felger said. “Right now, we’re all in the same boat. So anybody that’s really in business, new or otherwise, we’re all kind of navigating things differently.”

The NSRA was founded in 1912 by shoe store owners who sought a way to use their collective knowledge to guide one another and figure out solutions to overcoming challenges in the shoe retail industry. Now, the NRSA continues that mission through programs, services and networking opportunities geared toward adjusting to an ever-changing business landscape. 

The organization is made up of independently-owned shoe retailers across the country and guided by its Board of Directors.

A longtime member of the NSRA, Felger said she was nominated by another board member to join the organization’s Board of Directors. A voting process among members confirmed her as part of the board, on which she will serve until her term expires in September of 2023.

Felger said her role will entail using her 30 years of experience as the owner of a shoe business to assist fellow retailers with their own businesses. The Board of Directors meets several times a year to assess the marketplace and determine what actions the NSRA can take to most effectively aid its members, Felger said. 

“I can’t talk or get anything done for myself, but as a group, we have more buying power, talking power, lobbying power – all of that,” Felger said.

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continuing to impact small business, Felger’s new role feels especially poignant. 

“We’re going to share our knowledge of how we handled it and were still successful in what we do. Not everybody can say that, unfortunately, and the industry as a whole is getting tougher and tougher,” Felger said. 

Felger said she has always viewed working in the shoe retail industry as an opportunity for ministry, through mentoring her staff members and offering a stepping stone to obtaining life and business lessons that they can take with them beyond Felger’s. 

The timing of being given a chance to take that same approach to her role on the NSRA Board of Directors amidst the store’s 30th anniversary “feels right,” Felger said.

“I’ve always believed that you should give back to your community, to other people,” Felger said. “It’s just the right thing to do. I believe that you have to be involved in your community if you want your community to thrive, so if I want other communities to thrive like we do, it’s time for me to share that information in any way possible.”

To everyone who has been a part of Felger’s Footwear’s 30-year journey, whether as an employee, customer or vendor, Felger said that “thank you” does not seem enough.

“Our customers have been a part of us for 30 years, and I’ve seen children grow up. I’ve seen children that have grown up having babies, and so I get to see that cycle again. That’s really rewarding,” Felger said. •