Kassis Brothers, The Family, The Business

John and Fred Kassis learned the time-honored trade of making shoes by hand from their uncle at a very young age in the country of origin, Lebanon. They even set up their own shop in their hometown of Zahle, Lebanon, with the meager earnings they made as apprentices. The local economy was poor and they knew they would have to leave their homeland in order to profit from their trade. It was decided they would immigrate to Australia because in 1948 this was much faster than gaining entry into the United States. Upon arriving in Australia, work was immediately found at a shoe factory near Sydney, and the brothers enrolled at a local university to learn English.

Their desire to start their own business exerted itself and by 1950 they decided to concentrate their efforts on designing and making shoes for the physically handicapped. They wanted to help people who due to disease and war had crippled or deformed feet.

While John and Fred were working and studying to establish their new lives in Australia, their entire family had slowly immigrated and reunited in the United States. Although Fred and John desired to reunite with their family it was very difficult due to immigration laws at the time. In 1958, while visiting his family in Charleston, South Carolina, Fred was introduced to Senator Olin D. Johnson, who became interested in his case. Together with Representative L. Mendel Rivers, the two passed a bill granting John and Fred "first preference" quota. This type of admission is reserved for aliens of special talents and whose services would be beneficial to the United States.

The business John and Fred opened in 1960 in Charleston, South Carolina, was very similar to the one they started in Sydney nearly ten years earlier. They specialized in making hand-made shoes for people with pain and discomfort in their feet.

Over the years, the business evolved to incorporate the fitting of orthopedic, comfort, and children's shoes. The business grew to include their sister, Renee, who took care of the bookkeeping and secretarial work. Other family members, such as brothers, nephews, wives, and children periodically worked at the store, making it a true family-operated business.

Today, we at Kassis Brothers Shoes are all dedicated to furthering John and Fred's original desire to help all people with their foot problems or footwear needs, and to provide service to our customers that is "second-to-none".