NSRA President Mark Denkler shares where independent footwear retailers may be leaving money on the table—and why relationships, smarter costs, and new technology matter more than ever.

Independent footwear retail has never been a simple business.

Margins matter. Inventory matters. Shipping, credit card processing, rent, staffing, and dozens of other expenses are constantly pulling at the bottom line.

And sometimes, the biggest opportunity isn’t selling more shoes.

It’s paying closer attention to the business you already have.

In this episode of The Footwear Retailer Podcast, I sit down with Mark Denkler, President of the National Shoe Retailers Association (NSRA), to talk about the state of independent footwear retail, the costs retailers often overlook, and how the NSRA is helping stores become stronger businesses.

This episode also marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the podcast, with the NSRA joining us as our principal sponsor.

From Banking to Footwear Retail

Mark’s path into the footwear industry wasn’t exactly direct.

Before becoming a retailer, he worked in banking and eventually managed a $2 billion portfolio. But the long days—often from 7:30 in the morning until 9:30 at night—eventually made him reconsider what he wanted his life to look like.

He and his wife ultimately brought their financial and merchandising experience into his family’s footwear business in Florida.

That experience gave Mark something valuable: a perspective on retail from both sides of the equation.

He understood the numbers, but he also understood what it meant to have inventory sitting on the floor, employees depending on you, bills coming due, and your own money at risk.

Those experiences eventually led him to the NSRA, where he has now served as president for more than five years.

The Costs That Quietly Creep Up

One of the most practical parts of our conversation was about expenses.

Shipping and credit card processing may feel like fixed costs, but Mark makes the case that retailers should be reviewing them regularly.

Through the combined buying power of its members, the NSRA has negotiated programs designed to reduce some of these major operating expenses.

Mark explains that the NSRA shipping program through Unishippers can save members more than 50% off regular shipping rates while eliminating certain delivery-area and fuel surcharges.

The same principle applies to credit card processing.

When hundreds of millions of dollars in transactions are grouped together, retailers suddenly have negotiating power that a single store—or even a small chain—could never create on its own.

And these expenses deserve another look even if you already negotiated them once.

As Mark puts it:

“They weren’t looking at their cost as much and it just starts creeping up.”

That creep can become expensive.

The $11,000 Decision

Mark shared one example that every retailer should pay attention to.

The NSRA identified a member who could save approximately $1,000 per month by changing one of their existing services.

The retailer waited 11 months before finally making the switch.

That’s approximately $11,000 in potential savings left on the table.

Why wait?

Relationships played a role. Their existing representative would occasionally bring lunch for the staff.

But as Mark pointed out, a couple of lunches each year don’t compare very well with $12,000 in annual savings.

It’s a simple example with a bigger lesson:

When was the last time you actually reviewed the expenses quietly running through your business every month?

A fraction of a percentage point can look insignificant on an invoice.

Across an entire year of sales, it may be anything but.

The Advantage Independent Retailers Still Have

Independent footwear retailers face plenty of pressure.

Mark talks openly about the decline in the number of independent stores, inflation, tariffs, rising operating costs, and the uncertainty retailers have had to navigate over the past several years.

But he also sees a major advantage independents still possess.

We know our customers.

Mark remembers walking into a department store in Florida and seeing sweaters and gloves prominently displayed while it was 82 degrees outside.

The merchandise may have made sense on a national floor plan.

It didn’t make sense for the customer standing in that store.

Independent retailers can operate differently.

We can listen to customers, understand our local markets, adjust our assortments, measure feet, recommend alternatives, and use our experience to help someone find the product that is actually right for them.

The goal isn’t simply to become another place carrying somebody else’s brand.

It’s to make your store the brand customers trust.

Why Peer-to-Peer Relationships Matter

One of the most valuable things Mark sees within the footwear industry isn’t a program or a discount.

It’s access to other retailers.

Running an independent business can be isolating. There aren’t always people around you who understand the decisions, risks, and problems you’re dealing with.

The NSRA creates opportunities for retailers to sit down with people who have already faced many of those same challenges.

Mark remembers being a much smaller retailer and receiving advice from operators running businesses many times the size of his own.

That willingness to share is something he believes makes the footwear industry special.

Sometimes one conversation with another retailer can prevent an expensive mistake—or uncover an opportunity you hadn’t considered.

The Next Transformation: AI

The footwear industry has gone through several major technological shifts.

Mark remembers when computer systems transformed retail in the 1980s and 1990s.

Then came the internet.

Now, he believes we’re entering another one of those moments:

Artificial intelligence.

For independent retailers, that doesn’t mean becoming technology experts.

It means figuring out where these tools can help us solve problems faster, understand information, improve decisions, and free up more of our time.

Because ultimately, technology should support the business—not create another full-time job for the owner.

Building a Business That Gives You a Better Life

There’s another theme running through this conversation that goes beyond footwear.

Most of us didn’t get into business simply because we wanted another job.

We wanted independence.

Opportunity.

And hopefully, a better life.

There will always be seasons when business demands more from us. Mark talks about periods when he worked incredibly long hours because that was when his store generated the majority of its revenue.

But working that way every day, all year long, shouldn’t be the goal.

If your business no longer supports the life you wanted when you started it, that’s worth examining.

Better systems, smarter expenses, stronger relationships, and better use of technology all contribute to creating a business that works better—for the customer and for the owner.

A New Chapter for The Footwear Retailer

This conversation with Mark also kicks off a new season of The Footwear Retailer Podcast.

With the National Shoe Retailers Association joining us as principal sponsor, we’ll be bringing you more conversations with the retailers, brands, suppliers, and industry experts who understand independent footwear retail from the inside.

We’ll be exploring topics including scams and cybersecurity, the numbers retailers should be tracking, practical applications of AI, employee development, industry partnerships, and much more.

The goal is simple:

Real conversations with real people—and information that helps independent footwear retailers build better businesses and better lives.

My Takeaway

You don’t always need a dramatic new strategy to improve your business.

Sometimes you need to look again at something you stopped questioning.

A shipping bill.

A processing rate.

A lease.

A workflow.

A piece of technology you’ve been avoiding.

Or a conversation with another retailer who has already solved the problem sitting in front of you.

Small improvements compound.

And in a business where margins matter, paying attention matters too.

Listen to the full conversation with Mark Denkler and discover what might be worth taking another look at inside your own business.