Footwear Insight

Currently, the store is setting up private appointments for shoppers and Augustine says customers have been appreciative. "Last week we had a lady who had not been out of her house for three months," he says. "This is one of the first places she came. She called and quizzed me about safety before- hand. If I were in my 80s and had some underlying health issues, I'd be just as concerned about COVID. I've been reminded that in the shoe business we are like the bartender or the barista — some customers come out to shop and they also want to spend time just talking to us. Customers feel safe here and it feels special that they trust us with those things." Moving forward, Augustine says, "We aren't defeated or barely hanging on, but we can't predict much beyond what happens in the next 2-3 weeks. It is very difficult to project anything right now." Still, he is confident that people will continue to be more athleti- cally oriented in their purchases, and he is planning his buys accord- ingly. —CG Ahh Comfort Shoes "The things affecting our business right now are not in our control," says Jeffrey Seidman, owner of Arlington Heights, IL-based Ahh Comfort Shoes. The retailer is levelheaded and serious about the current challenges, but sees a brighter future ahead. While the store was closed for business due to COVID restrictions in April, Ahh Comfort offered curbside service and was "running at about 10 percent of sales," according to Seidman. Now the store is serving customers in-store by appointment only. "We take COVID very seriously and we have the store set up in pods so customers are apart," he says. The pods in the store include three chairs for a customer, a table for showing product and a chair for a salesperson that is six feet away. "The feedback we get from customers is 'wow, I feel very safe here.' That's our goal. We are here for the people we can help and we want them to feel safe." The athletic category is selling well — Ahh Comfort's New Balance sales are particularly strong, along with Spira, Hoka and a few others — but business overall is down about 60 percent this year. "Anything that has to do with style or looks is getting killed," says Seidman. "We aren't a fashion house, but nothing cute is selling." While the shop owner says he is selling less, what he is selling is going for full price. In fact, he says his margins this year are better than last year's. For the upcoming seasons, Seidman says he is purposely buying more athletic than he needs, knowing some vendors may have fulfillment issues. "We decided to be positioned heavily on product," he says, noting that he wants to have more than he needs once things open up. On the brand side, Seidman says, "We need to work together with vendors and everyone needs to listen to everyone else." Looking ahead, Seidman says, "I can't tell you what I am going to do in April until March, and anyone who says they can, I don't believe them. It depends when the vaccine comes out and how many people get it. When will people be traveling? When are people going to go out and do their regular activities? Until I know that I cant bring in certain products." Despite the current uncertainty, Seidman says he is optimistic. "I think the future is very bright and I don't think that is pie in the sky, unicorn thinking," he says. "Once this ends, psychologically people will be ready to party. They will be ready to travel. Once the masks come off and it is safe and we are through it, people are really going to be excited to get back into the world." —CG Comfort Plus Shoes & Footcare Establishing a safe in-store environment for its clients, many of whom are older and in the high- risk category for COVID-19, has been a customer service challenge in 2020 for Comfort Plus Shoes, but an even bigger challenge has been having to price match with vendors who sell off MAP or promote key products in their respective Direct- To-Consumer businesses. "These situations are understandable as vendors try and navigate these times. But those discounts are a real problem for a store like Comfort Plus Shoes," comments Matthew Gold, whose family has owned and operated the store in Leawood, Kansas near Kansas City since 1983. "I would have anticipated a reciprocal discount provided to us, the same that is being provided to the D2C customer. It's been a year that has provided tremendous clarity as to who our true vendor partners are and who are not." While some vendors were difficult to work with, others did a better job as partners. Gold has praise for brands such as Finn Comfort, New Balance and Naot, who worked hand-in-hand with the single-store business during the pandemic. Impacts from the ongoing COVID pandemic have made planning for 2021 difficult at Comfort Plus, including prebook buys, events and staffing. "The uncertainty has really made everything difficult to forecast," contends Gold. "We have taken a 'wait-and-see' approach and decreased our pre-bookings and increased our open-to-buy." —BM Stan's Fit For Your Feet South African archbishop Desmond Tutu, the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize winner, once said, "Hope is being 32 • Footwear Insight ~ December 2020 footwearinsight.com RETAIL "The things affecting our business right now are not in our control." Jeffrey Seidman, Ahh Comfort Shoes "I would have anticipated a reciprocal discount pro- vided to us, the same that is being pro- vided to the D2C customer. It's been a year that has provided tremendous clarity as to who our true vendor part- ners are and who are not." Matthew Gold, Comfort Plus Shoes Masks and sanitizer at Ahh Comfort Shoes

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