STRAP
Footwear Retailer of the month Cheryl T
aylor , Editor , talks to Shamsa van Keulen of apple & piea shopping sanctuary for children’s shoes
How did you get into footwear? I’ve always had a passion for shoes, which started at an early age when I would dress up as a little girl and slip into my mummy’s heels and totter around the house (as my daughter does now!). Stylish yet comfortable footwear was essential when I started working, I soon found out that I’d rather invest in one pair of really good shoes than spend money on several different styles that looked great but were extremely uncomfortable to wear. The cherry on the cake was having children of my own. That sealed my drive and interest and sowed the seed for this venture. It wasn’t until the end of November 2011 that we actually did something about it by setting up the company.
Where is your shop located and how long have you been in business? Our shop is located on Hong Kong Island within a brand new retail development. apple & pie's first sale transaction took place on 16th August 2012 (an auspicious day for starting a new business within the Chinese almanac) although the opening was the following day on 17th (the beginning of "Ghost Month" - not the best of days!). The timing was unusual as we tried to observe the cultural do’s and don'ts of when to open, as well as meeting our own strong desire to get the shop up and running.
Did you have any previous experience of the shoe trade or retail generally? Only as a customer! That in itself is a good starting point when providing your own customers with the level of service that is required in a vibrant
fast paced city such as Hong Kong. Coupled with our passion for good quality shoes and the experiences of living in several Asian countries gave us a good indication of how people shop, what services they value and how to fill that gap.
What is footwear retail like in Hong Kong in comparison to the UK? Hong Kong is a shopping Mecca and standards are high in retailing. Most international fashion brands are well represented when it comes to adult footwear and there is a growing trend for these designers to start rolling out their children’s range of fashion and shoe wear. What is not so readily available, are the high quality European children’s shoe brands that have a lot of integrity in their design and manufacture and are well established in their home countries, but are not necessarily considered to be a ‘label’. Such (children’s) shoes are more easily available in the UK than here in Hong Kong. Most parents in the UK have a good awareness of the importance of well
fitted shoes from an early age and are able to easily find shoe shops that offer foot measuring/shoe fitting services as a natural precursor to buying a pair of shoes. Sadly this is a rarity in Hong Kong and a number of other cities in Asia. We consider this to be an essential element to the services that apple & pie provides to its customers. In addition to this, what is lacking in Hong Kong is a relaxed and appealing
environment for parents when buying shoes for their children. For this reason we sought out an Italian designer Stefano Tordiglione, of ST Design who helped us develop our concept and came up with the interior for our shop. We hope to recreate this ambience in subsequent stores.
20 • FOOTWEAR TODAY
• NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012
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