I see it all the time … the way moods lift, tension eases and the happiness is palpable as a customer finds a new pair of shoes. Or two or three or more! There’s something quite delicious about finding just the right shoes or whatever it may be that you are looking for. The irony […]
News
“Now he comes to me!”
When I met another small business woman, Dorothy, in regional Malawi in December 2014 and asked her how the support of small loans from MicroLoan Foundation Australia have changed her life, this was her powerful and eloquent response. “I used to beg my husband for money … now he comes to me.” I shared this […]
Change takes time
There may be an indent on my desk that’s in the shape of my head… …from where I’ve been banging it… …again and again! I gave all my suppliers lots of notice and carefully explained my idea that shouldn’t be so revolutionary but apparently is … in a nutshell, new shoes arriving every month of […]
Shop smart!
I love smart shoes! As I’m now ordering my Winter 2019 range and, indeed, some of my Summer 2019 range, evaluating shoes beyond their aesthetics has been on my mind this week. I really appreciate shoes that have been cleverly designed. When a gusset allows a little more width and when a little strip of […]
Learning from my customers
“Oh, your shoes are so fancy,” said the lovely new customer when she walked into The Shoe Garden this week. “There won’t be anything here for me.” With those words, my heart sank. Yes, my tagline is “Gorgeous shoes in Size 10 and Up”. Yes, I try and source different shoes, be they fun or […]
Swooning over shoes … I love my job!
Swooning… That’s what I did a few times this week viewing new ranges for Winter 2019. As I went from appointment to appointment and viewed hundreds of shoes and boots, there were a few that stood out and had me catching my breath as soon as I sighted them. There was a boot with this […]
Prepping to go shoe shopping!
I have a day filled with appointments with my favourite brands. I have my customers, all so gorgeous yet so diverse in their tastes and needs and budgets, firmly in my mind. I have my iPhone ready and charged to take lots of photos. And I have some comfortable shoes to wear while I do […]
Family comes first
Apologies, I haven’t been in your Inbox with my blog for two weeks now. Life got in the way, you see. My darling mum suddenly found herself in hospital after an eye specialist became worried about her disorientation and sent her to emergency. Turns out she was having epileptic episodes. The 12 days she was in […]
The power of sharing
This weekly blog is all about what it’s like to be a proud shoe shop owner. This past week has reinforced how proud I really am and all because I chose to share more of my journey with my gorgeous customers. I was super honest from the start of my business and ‘fessed up that […]
Athleisure footwear running a great race!
Who would have thought the humble sneaker could and would become so fashionable?! Certainly, for this season and looking ahead to Summer 2018 and even Winter 2019, the athleisure footwear range is growing super fast. Don’t for a moment think you’re going to hike in them or run a marathon, though! Oh no, these beauties […]