Business Buzz

It's shoe time! Thanks to the trend toward casual dress codes in the workplace, an increasing number of men are footing the bill for (you guessed it) more and more shoes.

"It's an oversimplification, certainly, but professional men used to have two kinds of footwear: wing tips for business attire and [sneakers] for casual attire," says Bill Boettge, president of the National Shoe Retailers Association. "Now there's more of a need for that in-between shoe."

Dallas Shoes, a Cleveland-based chain of shoe stores in Ohio, is counting on that need continuing. Recently, the chain launched two men's-only locations (both in the Cleveland area). According to Melissa Fienga of Dallas Shoes, customer reaction has been positive.

If men continue to flip head over heels for casual shoes, it can only be good news for the somewhat tread-worn shoe industry. As women buy fewer dress shoes (ironically, due to the same casual dress codes), the $15 billion market for men's shoes is expected to pump up the volume.

This article was originally published in the February 1996 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Business Buzz.