Payless is back, y’all: This is what’s changing about the shoe store you grew up with

HOUSTON – Payless is back.

The shoe retailer, which has formally dropped the name “Shoesource” from its brand name, announced in a press release Tuesday that it is opening new online retail options and new brick-and-mortar locations.

The company says it aims to open 300 to 500 free standing stores across North America over the next five years, beginning with the launch of the first prototype store in Miami, the new home and headquarters for the brand. It’s unclear when stores will return to Houston, if at all, after the brand closed all of its Houston locations in recent years.

But the stores are going to be very different if they do return to our area. Gone are the days of tall rows of shoes and here come the interactive displays. This is how Payless describes their prototype store concept:

• Smart mirrors
• Touchscreen wall panels
• Augmented Reality foot comparison chart

Payless’ says its new brick-and-click stores will not only have an updated design, look and feel, but also “reinvent the way we shop.”

The new store locations will be in addition to the brand’s existing 700 international stores.

Here are some of the brands that will be again be available at Payless: AirWalk, American Eagle, and many more, to K-Swiss, Kendall + Kylie and Aerosoles.

“We’re back and bringing more community responsibility, fashion-forward footwear, and on-trend partnerships to our 60M+ Payless customers who have missed us,” said Jared Margolis, Payless chief executive officer. “We saw an opportunity for the brand to relaunch into the US market. …We are so excited to bring Payless back to you, so you and future generations to come can lead the way forward.”

Payless was founded in 1956 in Topeka, Kansas.