Charm Harness and Boot is king of footwear for all seasons
By Jennifer Kneuss
Thousands of pairs of shoes and boots and 50 hunting trophy mounts – what do these have in common? All occupy the 8,500-square-foot showroom at Charm Harness and Boot, located in the quaint community of Charm.
Roy Miller began this business several decades ago, providing basic shoe, boot, tack sales and repair work. Now, his sons, Allen, Leroy, and David, have joined their father in creating a one-of-a-kind offering of footwear for every need.
“We have a separate shop for repairs,” noted Allen Miller, store manager. “We do full soles, custom build-ups, repairs, and re-sole work.” He motions toward the thousands of shoes displayed from floor to ceiling. “We try to give key customer service. That’s what we concentrate on. We provide a shoe that fits the occupation.”
The Miller family is obviously proud of the well-known names in footwear that the store carries. “I like high end hiking shoes – like Lowa, Kenetrek, Vasque, and Asolo. In the summer, we carry a huge selection of sandals, consisting of brands such as Minnetonka, Keen, Teva, Merrell, Skechers, Crocs, and Borne footwear,” Allen Miller remarked.
Some of the most popular items at Charm Harness and Boot include work shoes. With names like Red Wing, Timberland, Justin, Wolverine, and Georgia, the line is hard to beat. The Red Wing, Carhartt, Doc Marten, Under Armour, Rocky and Irish Setter names are prominent as well, with hunting boots being a popular pick.
“For the women, we carry fashion sandals, hiking boots, and Montana Silversmith jewelry. Ladies casual and hiking sandals have become a big summer stir for us. Some of our more popular brands are Minnetonka, Keen, Merrell, Skechers, Teva and Borne. We’ve also added Uggs, which are an upper end ladies’ fashion fur-lined boot, and purses. Our belt buckles are popular with men and women alike. For children, we carry Carhartt and John Deere, and have western hats and belts and Ertl John Deere toys and John Deere scale-model tractors,” explained Allen Miller. “We also have a good selection of Columbia and Carhartt apparel. Our merchandise is available in big and tall sizes. A good western selection includes well-known names like Justin, Tony Lama, Lucchese, Dan Post, and Double H, along with Ariat boots. Shoe brands, such as Vibram Five Fingers, Birkenstock and Born, are also big names the Miller’s provide.
“We’ve been doing this long enough to know how things wear,” he added. With this in mind, each of the employees is experienced in matching the right footwear with the right customer. In addition to selling the latest and best footwear, “We provide custom shoe repair and re-soling,” he stated.
Special orders are not a problem, either. “I do a lot of special orders, in a lot of special sizes,” Allen Miller noted. “We do inventory every Monday to keep up. And we offer mail-order to our customers, too.”
All types of socks are carried in-stock, as well as gloves, belts, and other essential gear, so customers can leave the store with exactly what they need. The store has increased the number and varieties of socks it carries to satisfy the demand. Brands such as SmartWool, Fox River, Injinji and Thorlos fill the shelves. There are also saddles and tack items from Weaver Leather in stock. The Millers work hard to assure that they know their products and the needs of their customers well. The store is well known for its twice-yearly sales, with deep discounts for customers. These are held in the spring and fall.
And the 50 game trophies displayed around the perimeter of the store? “Those are all from hunts by me, my brothers, and our friends,” Allen Miller explained proudly. “And I know the history behind every one of those, too.” And he’ll tell you those stories – that is, if you can get him to slow down long enough from serving customers to stop and chat.
Charm Harness and Boot is located at 4441 CR 70, just across the street from Keim Lumber in Charm. Store hours are Monday and Tuesday, from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday and Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Thursday and Saturday, from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and closed on Sundays. The store can be reached at 330-893-0402.
Take the time to find the perfect footwear and gear for all your needs at Charm Harness and Boot.
