Shoe Love Became True Love

A Life Built on Faith. Hope. Love

In 1973, during her junior year at UNC Greensboro, Ginger’s shoe love took her to Stanley Shoes for navy pumps, a teacher’s classic style at that time. It was there that she met Mike Parnell who showed and fitted her in over a dozen pairs of shoes. Needless to say she forgot about the pumps because she left with blue suede jean shoes. That is where “shoe love became true love”, and Mike and Ginger married a year later.

The many years that followed took them on a journey each with their own careers, the birth of a precious son, Justin, Mike’s battle with cancer, entrepreneurships for both of them in each of their industries, establishing a home-away-from-home in North Myrtle Beach, and ultimately moving to the beach and working together in Mike’s retail business, Shoe Center. There is much more to their story, and they enjoy many laughs telling it. Just ask them, and you’ll see that “shoe love did become true love” built on faith, hope, and love.

MORE ABOUT MIKE

  • • 50+ year veteran in the shoe industry with expertise in sales, shoe design, customer service, management, and relationship building with customers and vendors.
  • •2021 recipient (for Shoe Center NMB) of  industry recognition
     for Gold Standard Service Award
  • •believes in “sales with service concept” characteristic of independent “old fashioned” shoe stores.
  • •keeps focus on quality comfort, dance and fashion footwear for men and women.
  • •believes in showing customer appreciation through semi annual concerts at his North Myrtle Beach store, charitable giving, sponsorships and travel shows to other communities with shag dance events.
  • •maintains a strong inventory of quality footwear at a competitive price.
  • •Mike enjoys family and friends, interactions and relationship building with customers and staff, golf, pool, competitive games, and watching sports. His wife, Ginger, and son, Justin, are his treasures in life. Mike is a man of faith, and a man of his word.