Angelus Direct: 10X Growth with Shopify Unified Commerce

Case Overview

Angelus Direct is the online and retail division of Angelus Brand, a shoe care company founded in 1907 by Paul T. Angelos. Over five generations, the family built a reputation for high-quality polish and color products used by sneakerheads, artists, and pros. Despite a strong heritage, they relied almost entirely on wholesale distribution, faced lagging brand recognition, and juggled a patchwork of QuickBooks records, spreadsheets, and manual counts.

The Challenge

When fifth-generation CEO Tyler Angelos took the reins in 2013, he saw gaps everywhere. Their website was half broken, inventory was guesswork, and marketing was nonexistent. Losing a single wholesale account could tank revenue. They needed a single system for product, order, and customer data, plus a direct link to end buyers. Without it, growth remained stalled.

The Solution

Tyler migrated every channel—DTC site, B2B portal, retail store, POS, even manufacturing orders—onto Shopify’s unified commerce platform. He rebuilt the online store for SEO, launched Shopify B2B for wholesale partners, and set up Shopify POS in a small showroom. Inventory now syncs in real time, orders flow automatically, and pricing, promotions, and fulfillment all happen in one dashboard.

The Results

Within five years, they saw a 10X jump in global sales. Profit margins rose 2–3X by selling direct at retail and online rather than at wholesale rates. The showroom went live and immediately pulled in six-figure sales, accounting for 20% of revenue. Manual inventory counts vanished, replaced by six-month forecasts powered by live data. Wholesale errors dropped to zero thanks to the self-serve B2B portal.

Looking Ahead

Now Angelus Direct is building a shoecare workshop space for in-person classes and customizations. They’ll use the same Shopify POS system to handle registrations, payments, and retail purchases. This next step will deepen customer loyalty and open new revenue streams.