Footwear Insight

The Eneslow Pedorthic Institute, the company's educational arm, promotes the benefits of wearing footwear that feels as good as it looks. Established in 1995, it offers workshops, training sessions, courses and internships on a variety of topics ranging from pedorthics and other conserva- tive foot-care skills to retail sales, marketing and operations training. The courses are geared to pedorthists, health-care professionals, footwear-industry professionals and retailers. Chiropractors, physical therapists, podia- trists, reflexologists, orthotists and prosthetists join pedorthists in expanding skills to help improve people's feet and overall well-being. The institute also produces non-footwear related educational events. "It's the way we get the word out to professionals and the public," says President/CEO Robert S. Schwartz, who leads the faculty at the continuing-education classes, including one of the more recent offerings, "The Aging Athlete's Foot." Director Sarah Goldberg, who's a certified pedorthist, said that there's no other retail pedorthic center that offers formal educational classes. "The fact that ours operates out of a retail shoe store is a huge advantage because we see a humongous variety of people who have foot problems every day," she says. "The Eneslow Pedorthic Institute is a resource for New Yorkers and for continuing education for pedorthists." Through the years, the institute has taught students from around the world, and for many years offered pre- certification courses to aspiring pedorthists. Third-year students at the New York College of Podiatric Medicine, where Schwartz is an adjunct instructor in the department of orthopedic sciences, attend pedorthic lectures and workshops at the college and at Eneslow each year. "Our staff is trained career-professional pedorthists. We can create, repair and modify any kind of shoes. More importantly, we can do it in a way that is designed to increase comfort and relieve pain by helping improve balance, alignment, posture and gait. People who work here come from all over the world, and our customer base is international." Rachel Schwartz, general administrator and social media coordinator, who grew up working in the store with her father and became a full-time employee in 2009 "Eneslow is made for New York City because people are on their feet all the time. Our employees, our custom- ers and the health-care professionals and doctors we work with are like a tight-knit extended family. "We do surgery to off-the-shelf shoes so you don't have to buy $3,000 custom bespoke shoes, which we also do. We want to help the worst of the worst cases." Michael Schwartz, vice president, who started working at his father's company as a teenager and has spent most of his career in the footwear industry "Our No. 1 priority is not making a sale; it's listening to the customers in a one-on-one interview and identifying the problem. Sometimes, we can simply adjust their shoes instead of selling them new ones. This is why we have long-term clientele — we do something good for somebody and they come back year after year." Abdoulaye Ndiaye, certified pedorthist, manager of Eneslow's Second Avenue store and a 13-year employee "We have a 110-year legacy of making a difference in people's lives by helping them ambulate free of pain. And we have a commitment to pass our work down to the next generation so it continues for another 110 years." Raul Davila, manager of Eneslow's Little Neck store and a 35-year employee "Every year, the sales associates undergo a well- rounded, hands-on training course that includes creating casts, making adjustments to shoes and learning about orthotics. This includes weekly reviews every Wednesday morning from 9 to 10. I love this job because I learn something new every day, and I get to play hero to all the people who come in who have become disgruntled by other stores." Andre Figueroa, pedorthist, assistant manager of Eneslow's flagship and a 10-year employee "Every shoe we buy has to be a solution for a prob- lem. Eneslow is not a 'fashion-cute' shoe store. We scour the globe for the unique and the different. It's not brand first, it's product first." Jeffrey Roth, buyer and a 25-year employee "I love helping people. A young lady came in to have her cheerleading shoes modified. They were lightweight, and she had congenital issues, so I offset the lace in the middle of the shoe to pull her feet straighter. It was the perfect solution." Sarah Goldberg, director of the Eneslow Pedorthic Institute, an assistant store manager and a 15-year employee "Eneslow offers the same opportunity to grow to every employee. It doesn't matter where you come from or who you are, you have the chance to advance to the top. I started working as a stock boy and worked my way up." Steven Roth, IT/office manager and a 23-year employee From its custom workshop to its Pedorthic Institute, Eneslow has broad expertise on feet. Above: scenes from a recent celebration held at Eneslow's store. Eneslow's Educational Arm Focuses on Feet The Inside Stories... footwearinsight.com July/August 2019 ~ Footwear Insight • 71

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