The Boot House shows no signs of slowing down

In November 1979, Dennis and Sharon O’Keefe, Manly, opened The Boot House, Inc. in the basement of their home when they noticed locals needed a close location to buy boots. Now, the store not only sells boots for men, women and children but a variety of products ranging from fragrances to jewelry and even liquor.
After a bit, the couple understood their growing business needed a larger space, so they moved The Boot House, Inc. across the street from their current location. They moved for the second and final time in 1983.
The following year, the O’Keefes tore down the building’s far-right brick wall to create another room and accommodate the developing shop.
After nearly 42 years of business, the couple is beginning to meet its third and fourth generations of customers.
“We’ll get people in here, and they’ll say, ‘I remember when my grandpa brought me in here,’” Dennis said.
“It makes a difference when you have follow-through like that,” Sharon responded to her partner’s comment.
For The Boot House, Inc., its priorities lie within its customers; Dennis will even meet individuals at night to assist those who cannot visit during store hours.
To the couple, it was not the town that made the store special, it was its location. The nearest boot store alike was approximately two hours away in Des Moines.
“You look at major highways of 65 and 9, and that’s the unique part of it,” Sharon said. “People had access to us from the interstate north, south, east and west.”
Even with this, the couple has come to find their customer demographics range much larger than just Minnesota and the surrounding areas as they have even attracted visitors from Canada, Europe, Norway, and England.
Despite decades of business, The Boot House, Inc. shows no plans of slowing down, and it will continue to provide its services to the community.
“We provide products to people that they need and use in every walk of life,” Sharon said.

Lake Mills Graphic

204 N. Mill Street
Lake Mills, IA 50450

Office Number: (641) 592-4222
Fax Number: (641) 592-6397

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