The story of Phillips Shoes as you know us today begins in 1967 with two men named H.B. Phillips and Richard “Dick” Krivohlavek. Mr. Phillips was an independent shoe store owner in the South and my father Dick worked for International Shoe in their retail stores in the midwest. The two men met while buying for their stores at shoe shows and became friends. Mr. Phillips wanted to retire and sell his stores to his store managers. On a handshake deal, Dick moved his wife and three children to Orangeburg, SC to manage a Phillips Shoe store for two years, at which point Mr. Phillips would sell the store to him.

Dick expanded the business to include several more locations and always made customer service his top priority. Growing up, I always had a role in the stores; I worked stock, sold shoes and eventually managed my own store. When my father passed in 1999, I took over the business with my mother, Genon Krivohlavek. With the support of our staff and Ray Kitchen, our general manager and Norma Burns, our office manager, we shifted our focus to comfort shoes and began to carry brands like Ecco, Dansko and Naot.

Today, I am honored to say that we are still a family-owned and operated business. Our goal is to provide you with the personal customer service that has gotten lost in our digital world. We have been voted “Best Shoe Store” and received a national award for customer service from our peers. Please visit one of our 4 locations and allow my staff, your personal shoppers, to help your feet look and feel good!

Bobby Krivohlavek
President, Phillips Shoes Inc.