Footwear Insight

and walking group and a 1/2 marathon training program for beginners. ese were wildly successful when incorporating brand partners to help with footwear clinics and demos." Ted McGreer, Ted's Shoe & Sport "We've worked hard this year to hire the right people who love people." Julie Pierce, Valley Sole "In 2024 we added Orthofeet and American made SAS shoes to expand our offerings for more sizes and widths. We also updated our interactive website bestmadeshoes.com." Marc Rosen, Best-Made Shoes "Chiappetta Shoes executed on a major expansion in early 2023. Our focus this past year has been to continue to build the Pedorthic sales capacity, with three of our sales members going through the Pedorthic certification process with Steampunk Bionics. Pedorthics, foot typing, and gait assessments are all tools and sales tactics that people don't get in most of their sales experiences. It takes weekly dedication to have our sales staff comfortable in talking about their client's feet in a confident and informative manner. With the new shop and larger sales floor, we have been hosting sales events for other local businesses and that's been another great way to connect with our local community. ose can be difficult as we have had some duds but also some great successes." Anthony Chiappetta, Chiappetta Shoes "We implemented a detailed and structured training program, equipping our team with the essential knowledge and tools to excel both individually and collectively. is initiative has strengthened our ability to adapt to the changing industry and reaffirmed our commitment to continuous improvement for both the benefit of our customers and our Snyder's team. Maintaining our culture is a priority. It is a way we can respect and honor the past generations and God willing be here for next." Jill R. Snyder, Snyder Shoe Corp. "We opened a new location that was closed for three years for a development improvement. A huge undertaking that is proving early to hit benchmarks we set for our new shop, and the response from the community has been overwhelming positive." Stephanie Stout, Stout's Footwear "e newest and most impactful initiative would be the implementation of Bob Phibbs Sales RX. We have been fans of Bob Phibbs for years and have used his book 'e Retail Doctor's Guide to Growing Your Business' as a blueprint and training tool and are now using his Sales RX program for our managers and sales team." Ryan Stauffer, Market Street Shoes "We run monthly promotions and highlight a different product each month. is seems to keep people's interest, and we get positive feedback from customers. We also have an annual sidewalk sale that has also done very well for us for the past two years." Erika Boger, Boger's Shoes "is year we have concentrated on training! Again, the MOST VALUABLE asset is the staff. We must give them all the tools they need to be successful. If they are successful, then my business will naturally follow suit!" Brenda Felger, Felger's Footwear Ahh Comfort Shoes, Arlington Heights, IL. Solely Comfort Footwear, Winchester, VA. 30 • Footwear Insight ~ January/February 2025 footwearinsight.com RETAIL

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