Mason Companies, Inc. sells footwear, apparel, and accessories through its 9 business units via catalog and the internet. Mason is considered one of the largest footwear catalogers in the world, while a number of its brands specialize in hard-to-find sizes and widths. The company’s products can be viewed online at ShoeMall.com, kjordan.com, and masseys.com, which are 3 of our business units.

History

Where We Started

Mason has been owned and operated by the Mason family since its founding in 1904.

August and son Bert Mason were the original founders. Today, there are fifth generation descendents directly involved in the daily operation of the business.

Mason got its start by manufacturing logging boots for the lumberjacks and rivermen who worked the huge stands of white pine in the area. They demanded boots that could stand up to harsh conditions and an occasional dunking in the cold Wisconsin river … and Mason delivered.

Our first catalog was printed in 1906. In 1922 Mason started marketing shoes with door-to-door salesmen. Mason was progressive in direct selling.

We continued this way of doing business until 1942 when we went from a strictly home office sales operation to a home office/branch office operation. The branch offices were discontinued in 1970.

In 1969 Mason took a huge step forward by installing a computer to track sales and salespeople.  In fact, we were a pioneer in name and list processing on computers.

In 1985 Mason started testing some direct-to-consumer mail order catalogs featuring shoes and clothing for men and women.

Mason continued with the direct selling approach until December 31, 1997 when the Mason “salesman” program was eliminated, turning entirely to selling directly to the consumer through catalogs.

Where We Are Today

Today Mason sells footwear, apparel and accessories with the 9 business units it has developed or acquired and is considered one of the largest footwear catalogers in the world.  Mason has also expanded into apparel with its K.Jordan catalog and website, which was launched in February 2007. 

Along with catalogs, the internet has also become a major growth area for Mason, which markets up to 300 name brands and 10,000 styles through its ShoeMall.com website. In 2007 Mason was recognized in Internet Retailer Magazine as one of the top 500 Web Retailers in the world. Mason ranked 153.

Installment credit has also become an important part of the business where footwear and apparel are offered to customers wanting to purchase products at low monthly payments. 

Mason currently employs more than 400 people in the community of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Our main office is located at 1251 First Avenue, and we also have a Catalog/Internet Development Center, Shipping Facility, and several warehouses located around town.

We are an intellectually aggressive company with a long-range plan to continue our growth pattern well into the current century.