Footwear Insight

Karavel Shoes Like many other retailers across the country, Karavel Shoes owner Rick Ravel says his top priority this year has been making his customers feel safe. He and his staff have gone all in on safety, and it has paid off. The retailer, with locations in Austin and Round Rock, TX, is adding to its staff and expecting to see business grow in spring 2021. "When we reopened in May it was by appointment only," recalls Ravel. "We required a mask be worn, checked each customer's temperature and made them use hand sanitizer. We built 16 cubicles with two chairs in each one, which we spray with sanitizer every night. In June we allowed walk ins and put a tent outside for customers to sign in and stay out of the sun and then put a doorbell on the desk to let us know someone was outside. Now we have the doorbell attached to the front door since it has gotten cooler." Why go through such lengths? "We sell service," says Ravel. "The customer can buy the shoes anywhere but can't get the service we offer. We still measure both feet and address the customer's needs. That has not changed." "We are told all the time by our customers old and new how safe they feel and they thank us for doing what we do to make them feel safe," says Ravel. "We have had one incident where a customer would "We dropped 35 women's vendors and concen- trated on the top 15. Our men's busi- ness is steady but moved from dress and casual to outdoor footwear." Rick Ravel, Karavel Shoes 18 • Footwear Insight ~ December 2020 footwearinsight.com We spoke to independent footwear retailers across the country about the challenges they have faced this year, the strategies they've implemented, and how they envision the year ahead. Each of the stores featured on these pages is a past winner of our Gold Medal Service Award for Outstanding Customer Service. Here are some of their stories… Karavel Shoes RETAIL Retail Resilience The Inside Stories of the Year that Was for Independent Retailers.

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