The Heel Shoe Fitters named Birkenstock Retailer of the Year

Rich Palzewic

Staff

November 2, 2026

ASHWAUBENON – When it comes to putting its best foot forward, The Heel Shoe Fitters has earned recognition from one of the footwear industry’s most recognizable names.

Birkenstock – which got its start in Germany in 1774 – recently named The Heel its 2026 Retailer of the Year, highlighting the store’s role in bringing the brand’s footwear to customers.

Owner Troy Dempsey said the award reflects his staff and the hard work they put in daily.

“This was as a result of Birkenstock being happy with how we represent their brand for them,” he said. “Birkenstock is a worldwide known brand, so it’s very exciting for us to be named their North American Retailer of the Year. To have that spotlight from an international brand is pretty cool.”

Dempsey said The Heel elevates Birkenstock’s brand through its social media and the way he and his staff represent the brand overall.

“I think the presentation and service we offer all weighed into their decision,” he said. “To some degree, it’s the personal connections we’ve developed as being one of Birkenstock’s premier retail partners in the U.S.”

Although many other U.S. stores sell Birkenstock, Dempsey said he thinks the German company appreciates the passion The Heel brings to carrying its brand, something he feels big-box retailers don’t always get a chance to showcase.  

Dempsey, who took over The Heel in 2012, said the store’s annual in-store Birkenstock event has become “legendary” with how many pairs of shoes it sells in one day, with upwards of 500 pairs sold during the event.

“It’s pretty well known that we sell more Birkenstocks in one day than any other store has ever sold,” he said. “Birkenstock is a brand that wants to be premier – and they are premier – so all of their shoes are sold at regular price…. They don’t like the product being discounted, so we abide by that.”

Instead of discounting Birkenstock’s shoes during the event, Dempsey said they’ll give customers opportunities to win a free pair with every pair bought.

Bringing in local celebrities to help promote the event, he said, has also proved successful.

“The past couple of years, we basically had a The Price Is Right type of wheel we had made, so it’s a really fun event. Last year, we had Chef Jyll [from Fox 11], who is a personal friend and who always thought it was a fun event.”

Roots dating back over 250 years

Birkenstock began operations in 1774 when Johann Adam Birkenstock started the company.

Although headquartered in Germany, Birkenstock’s strongest area of business comes from the U.S., Dempsey said.

“People in Germany, of course, wear Birkenstock, but not to the degree they wear them in the U.S.,” he said. “It’s definitely a bigger brand here than it is in Germany. Birkenstock is our No. 1 dealer from a yearly sales perspective and yearly business.”

Future growth?

When Dempsey took over The Heel in 2012, the store was located in downtown Green Bay.

He said the move to Ashwaubenon in 2016 helped The Heel grow from having about 1,000 pairs of shoes in its inventory to now about 70,000.

“When it was the previous owner and me working together [in downtown Green Bay], it was basically just he and I,” Dempsey said. “Between him and me, we grew the business. Now we have about 55 employees, so we continue to scale the business. About 80% of our business is in-store, while the other 20% is online. I think we have a pretty solid online presence, too.”

Going from a smaller downtown Green Bay location to a much larger store in Ashwaubenon, Dempsey said that doesn’t mean The Heel is content with staying the same.

He said expansion is something he and management have recently discussed.

“I’m working with a local architect right now on some potential opportunities to expand the store – just beginning initial conversations,” Dempsey, who was also named 2022 Retailer of the Year by the National Shoe Retailers Association, said.

Expansion, Dempsey said, could come in a variety of forms.

“To actually execute our plan, it would be a fairly comprehensive expansion to connect our two buildings and expand the chalet part of the building,” he said. “It would give us more sales floor space as well as stockroom space. We’re investing in what expansion might look like and will be having conversations with the village soon.”

Dempsey said expansion could take place sometime next year, or it could be pushed to the next year, depending on how willing he is to move forward with plans.

“I would say it basically boils down to whether I can make some bold decisions here soon,” he said with a laugh. “If I can do that, it will probably be sometime next year.”

Plenty of positive reviews

In a recent Facebook post from The Heel’s social media page, it was noted that the store recently experienced its 2,000th five-star review on Google.

Dempsey said he feels that’s a testament to The Heel’s commitment to excellence.

“Of course, you’re not always 100% of the time going to please everyone and make them happy, but I’m super thrilled about reaching that milestone,” he said. “It’s cool because the fact that somebody takes their time to give us a review is something we really appreciate. I feel 2,000 five-star reviews is a good metric. When you look at other businesses and their Google reviews, I don’t think you see a lot that have come to that [number].”

With negative reviews – “far less than 1%” – Dempsey said he feels it’s because prospective customers might not have fair expectations of what they want when they enter the store.

“Our business is so different in how we approach things from the perspective of us being so hands-on; we work with people,” Dempsey said. “We’ve had people think that because we have been eager to give them service, our employees are paid on commission, which they’re not. We’ve always tried our very best to make everyone happy.”

For more on The Heel Shoe Fitters, visit its Facebook page or find it online at theheel.com.