There were some curious things happening at the February 2003 Shoe Show, the largest footwear exhibition in the North American Hemisphere.

 For example, Chris Aiken, executive director of the show noted that attendance at this event was down noticeably. Registration on the first day was listed at 6,647, well below the 7,000+ noted at the last two shows. While this was unexpected, it should be noted that the number of retail stores in the U.S. had shrunk several percentage points in the year previous.   However, some of the larger chains reported that store openings have continued. What this means is that where a Wal-Mart may have sent the usual 10 buyers, the smaller stores that have closed sent none. Additionally, the economy has forced some firms to curtail travel expenses.

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