At Brown’s Shoe Fit Co., we promote from within. Every one of our 73 stores is led by someone who learned the business on the sales floor, and many of our newest store managers were trained by an owner who took the time to teach them everything they know. In September 2026, we said thank you to those owners in a big way: a four-day, all-expenses-covered reward trip to Denver, Colorado, for 10 hiring managers and their guests.
Why Brown’s Shoe Fit Co. Promotes From Within
Brown’s is not a franchise. For more than 115 years, we have grown by developing our own people into owner-operators who run their stores and serve their communities. When a store owner hires a trainee, develops them, and watches that person take over a Brown’s store of their own, they are doing the most important work in our company: perpetuating Brown’s Shoe Fit Co. for the next generation.
That is exactly what we set out to celebrate. As Brown’s President Cammie McKenzie put it in her invitation to the group, the trip was “our way of saying thank you for hiring a trainee that is now running their very own Brown’s store. Your hard work, dedication, and commitment to perpetuating Brown’s Shoe Fit Co. is something worth celebrating.”
What promoting from within looks like at Brown’s
- Hire for character and drive. We look for people with long-term thinking, a desire for autonomy, a competitive spirit, and the readiness to execute every day.
- Train on the job. Trainees learn inside working Brown’s stores, side by side with experienced owners.
- Earn a stake, not just a title. Graduates of our program do not simply get a promotion. They get an ownership stake in their store.
- Reward the teachers. Owners who develop the next store leader are recognized, because without them the model does not work.
Inside the Brown’s Training Program With Kelsi Bouray
The path from new hire to store owner is guided by Kelsi Bouray, Brown’s Director of Training and Management Development. Kelsi oversees our nationally recognized U.S. Department of Labor Registered Retail Store Apprenticeship and the ongoing development of our trainees and managers.
In Kelsi’s words, “We look for people who want to operate a business but don’t really know how they’re going to get the capital or where they’d even come up with the inventory.” Our program is built to solve exactly that problem.
The six steps from application to store ownership
- Application: Apply online or at a local Brown’s store.
- Interview process: A thorough screening for the traits that make a great owner-operator.
- Corporate orientation: Meet the General Office team and confirm the fit.
- Apprenticeship (typically two to three years): Full-time, in-person training across buying, operations, and team leadership.
- Store Ownership Development Program: A mentor-guided transition into running a store.
- Store ownership: Independent operation with ongoing support from the Brown’s General Office.
What trainees learn
Apprentices build skills across five core areas: leadership and talent development, financial acumen (including P&L management and expense control), merchandising and inventory strategy, customer and community strategy, and business planning. An Ownership Financing Program helps graduates buy into their store without needing significant capital up front.
Training at Brown’s does not stop at the store level. Our weekly Tuesday Tips calls keep learning going all year, with store owners and General Office leaders sharing insight on topics like vendor relationships, merchandising, interest sheets, and communication skills for sales staff.
The Denver Reward Trip:
Four Days Our Owners Earned
The Hiring Manager Reward Trip recognizes owners who have hired and developed a trainee who went on to earn their first opportunity to own and manage a Brown’s store within the past two years. The tradition comes around every couple of years, with past trips to San Diego, Branson, and Nashville. This year, the spotlight was on Denver.
From Thursday, September 24 through Sunday, September 27, 2026, 20 travelers (10 hiring managers and 10 guests) headed to Denver. Travel, hotel, dinners, concert tickets, and group activities were all covered. Everyone had a fantastic time, and it was a well-earned break for the people who keep Brown’s growing.
Home base: Limelight Hotel Denver
The group stayed at the Limelight Hotel Denver, 1600 Wewatta Street, in the heart of Lower Downtown (LoDo). The hotel sits one block from Denver Union Station and is steps from Coors Field and Ball Arena, which put the whole group within walking distance of the weekend’s restaurants and breweries. The hotel joined the Limelight brand in May 2023 as its first city location, since every Limelight before it had been in a mountain town. The brand traces its roots to Aspen’s Ski and Spur Bar, a Wild West-era hangout for early skiers. The hotel’s walls also double as a gallery, with a collection of about 700 works by 32 local artists.
Thursday
Welcome dinner at Thirsty Lion
Once everyone had landed and checked in, the weekend kicked off over dinner at Thirsty Lion Union Station, 1605 Wynkoop Street, with heavy appetizers, drinks, and plenty of catching up among owners from across the Brown’s family. Thirsty Lion was founded in Portland, Oregon, in 2008 and now has locations in Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, and Texas. It runs a scratch kitchen known for signature Scotch eggs and soft pretzels, and its Denver location sits right across from historic Union Station.
Friday
Craft beer, a historic steakhouse, and Red Rocks
Friday got rolling with the LoDo Craft Beer Tour, a guided walk through several of LoDo’s craft breweries and one of the best ways to see Denver’s historic downtown. The group met up at a piece of Denver history: Wynkoop Brewing Company, Colorado’s oldest brewpub, which poured its first beer in 1988. One of Wynkoop’s co-founders, John Hickenlooper, went on to become Mayor of Denver and later Governor of Colorado.
Later that afternoon, a charter bus carried everyone west to Morrison for an early dinner at The Fort, 19192 CO-8, a historic steakhouse listed on the National Register of Historic Places and known for bison, elk, and Old West atmosphere just minutes from Red Rocks. The building is a replica of Bent’s Old Fort, an 1830s fur-trading post on the Santa Fe Trail, and was built with more than 80,000 handmade mud-and-straw adobe bricks. Founders Sam’l and Bay Arnold originally built it as their family home, then opened the restaurant downstairs in 1963 and lived upstairs. The Fort’s signature drink, the Hailstorm, is known as Colorado’s first recorded cocktail, first served at Bent’s Fort in 1833.
The night ended at the world-famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre, for a night with The Revivalists, the New Orleans rock band best known for their platinum hit “Wish I Knew You.” Few concert venues anywhere compare to watching a show between Red Rocks’ towering sandstone walls. Red Rocks is known as the only naturally occurring, acoustically perfect amphitheater in the world. It opened in 1941 after six years of construction by the Civilian Conservation Corps, and it seats 9,525 people at 6,450 feet above sea level. The Beatles played there on August 26, 1964, the only show of their 1964 American tour that did not sell out.
Saturday
Axe throwing and a farewell dinner at Coohills
Saturday morning, the group brought out its competitive side at Bad Axe Throwing Denver, 937 E. Colfax Avenue. Bad Axe was founded in 2014 in Burlington, Ontario, and calls itself the world’s biggest urban axe throwing club. The sport traces back to 18th-century Canadian lumberjacks who held “loggersports” competitions in remote camps, which is why Bad Axe staff still wear plaid as a tribute. The afternoon was free for couples to explore Denver on their own.
The trip closed with a long, leisurely farewell dinner at Coohills, 1400 Wewatta Street. Run by Tom and Diane Coohill, the restaurant serves French-inspired, market-driven cuisine from Chef Tom Coohill, who is classically trained in French cooking. It sits along Cherry Creek just down the street from the hotel, offers custom tasting menus of five to ten courses, and was voted Best French Restaurant by Westword readers in 2021. It was a fitting place to raise a glass to the owners who make promoting from within possible.
Building connections beyond work
As great as the activities were, the real highlight was the chance to build stronger relationships outside of work. Spending the weekend together, spouses included, brought plenty of laughter, great conversations, and lasting memories. As one attendee shared, it’s not often owners get to connect in such a relaxed setting, and that made the reward even more meaningful.
Why Should Our Customers Care That We Reward Our Owners?
That answer is simple: When you walk into a Brown’s store, the person fitting your shoes is often a future owner, and the person who trained them is likely the owner standing a few feet away. That chain of mentorship is why Brown’s customers get expert, personal shoe fitting in every one of our 73 locations. It is also what makes our Local Anywhere approach work: whether you shop in store or at brownsshoefitco.com, your local Brown’s store shares in the success.
Rewarding the owners who develop new leaders keeps that chain strong. It tells every owner that building people is just as important as building sales. Here’s to the next generation of success stories, and the next reward trip adventure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Brown’s Shoe Fit Co. promote from within?
Yes. Brown’s develops its store owners from within through a registered apprenticeship program. Trainees learn inside working stores and can earn an ownership stake in a Brown’s store.
How long does the Brown’s apprenticeship take?
The apprenticeship typically takes two to three years of full-time, in-person training, followed by the Store Ownership Development Program before a graduate takes over their own store.
Who leads training at Brown’s Shoe Fit Co.?
Kelsi Bouray is Brown’s Director of Training and Management Development. She leads the apprenticeship program, trainee meetings, and ongoing management development.
Do I need money to become a Brown’s store owner?
No significant upfront capital is required. Brown’s offers an Ownership Financing Program to help apprentices finance their equity investment in their store.
How does Brown’s reward owners who train new managers?
Brown’s recognizes owners whose trainees go on to run their own stores. In 2026, those hiring managers and their guests were invited on an all-expenses-covered reward trip to Denver, Colorado, including a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
How often does the Hiring Manager Reward Trip happen?
The trip takes place every couple of years. Past destinations include San Diego, Branson, and Nashville, and the 2026 trip went to Denver.
Build Your Future With Brown’s Shoe Fit Co.
If you want to run your own business, lead a team, and serve your community, Brown’s can show you how. Learn more about our path to ownership on our Own Your Future page, see our Ownership Apprentice openings, or browse all career opportunities at Brown’s.
Brown’s Shoe Fit Co. Local Anywhere.
