doing business as
employer : Washington Shoe Co . founded : 1891 location : Kent employees : 45 website : www . washingtonshoe . com
Washington Shoe Co .
The Washington Shoe Company , founded in pioneer-era Seattle , is going strong 133 years later . This fourth-generation family company sells sheepskin boots and shoes , fashion-minded rubber boots plus whimsical rain boots ( featuring kid-friendly designs like Fritz Frog and Lucy Ladybug ). In 2022 their boots were named one of Oprah ’ s Favorite Things .
Brian Mittge
gold rush : The first customers for Western Chief boots and shoes were outdoor workers in 1890s Seattle . The 1898 Yukon Gold Rush gave a big boost to the company that is known today as Washington Shoe Company .
family traditions : Henry Moehring joined the firm in 1911 and soon bought out the other partners . It ’ s been a family business ever since . Each generational transition brought change . When Henry ’ s grandson , Rob Moehring , became CEO in 1990 , it was a tense time . He rebuilt the company from the ground up . His son , Karl , remembers his dad and mom , Val , working from 7 a . m . to 10 p . m .
refounding the company : Karl Moehring , who was a middle schooler at the time and did all manner of jobs at the company growing up , intended to go into high tech . But his father asked him to come back for a short stint at the company after college . He never left and took over as CEO in 2015 . And while he ’ s the fourth generation to run the company , he said that he has a secondgeneration mindset . “ My father bought a name . That was about it . He refounded the company ,” Karl told The Puget Sound Business Journal , which in March named Washington Shoe Co . its 2024 Family Business of the Year . The company was also a finalist for AWB ’ s Excellence in Washington Family-Owned Business Award in 2023 .
changing times : Over the years , the company has introduced innovative products such as sheepskin slippers and novelty printed and 3D character rain boots . It sells adventure boots under the Staheekum name , fashion-forward footwear in its Chooka product lines , and a variety of boots for men , women and children under its venerable Western Chief brand .
giving back : The company marked its 125th anniversary by creating a nonprofit , the Wear A Big Smile Foundation , led by Karl ’ s brother , Mark Moehring . Through it , Washington Shoe Co . has donated more than 50,000 brand new pairs of footwear to Pacific Northwest nonprofits serving the needy .
into the future : In 2023 the company moved into a new expanded facility in Renton that was built to encourage and facilitate collaboration . CEO Karl Moehring is considering ways to onshore some of their manufacturing from China back to the United States — and is mentoring the fifth generation to join the family business .