Cheryl Taylor, Editor, talks to Smita Lymbery of Walk In Style, Saltaire, West Yorkshire. Driving back home – What have I done, never mind I had 6 months before
Q&A:
Name: Smita Lymbery Shop: Walk In Style
Brands: Peter Kaiser – Kennel Und Schmenger - Rieker – Mephisto - Remote - Gabor – Fitflop – Waldlaufer – Azuree - Alpe.
Home town: Halifax Family: Married for 35 years, 1 Daughter
How did you get into footwear? Tell us about your background and your current business? After spending 28 years as a high-flying IT director for a car parts company, I needed to get out of the rat race, stop travelling up and down the country and working 80 hours each week, so I took redundancy, after a 6 months sabbatical.
During this time, I researched 2 possible plans, the first a High-End
Delicatessen, the second a Shoe shop. I took my plans to my solicitor who suggested I go home and rethink as he
could not see me wearing an apron and hair net - “do something with power suits and high heel shoes.” There’s an interesting story behind the shoe shop idea. I was online and
came across the Kensington Shoe Show in London, so I called Martin Ward one of the organizers at the time. As my Mum lived in London I decided to go down to London and visit the show. After viewing the range from Peter Kaiser, Magrit and K&S, I was sold on opening my own shoe shop called Elegance. Without having any premises or fix plans, I placed orders with some companies.
38 • FOOTWEAR TODAY • JUNE/JULY 2018
the stocked arrived to sort out the minor details of finding premises, best of all, how do I tell my husband I am opening a shoe shop? Brian’s response was “What do you know about shoe shops!!” My response – I wear them, and I have a business brain. The next step
was to get some Handbags to go with my Shoe collection. I approached Francesco Biasia, I was surprise the agent took my order as I knew Walk In Style stock the bags, to my surprise he informed me Walk In Style was up for Sale after 26 years. A light bulb moment came to me I called the then owner of the shop Mrs Potter and arranged to view the shop. It was the location of the shop I wanted. The rest is history now, I purchased Walk In Style in 2006. After 18 months I expanded into Ladies Designer Fashion, which has gone from strength to strength. I have never looked back, I wish I had got into the industry 10 years earlier, however I still work 7 days a week.
Where are your premises located and how many people do you employ? Do you have a high turnover of staff? Tell us about your shop, the local area, your customers and their requirements? We are located in the heart of Saltaire village a UNESCO world heritage site in picturesque West Yorkshire. The shop is over two levels with shoes on the ground floor and designer fashion upstairs. We have a boutique feel with a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. We are offended told, “I only came out to get some bread, but ended up buying a dress or shoes” after they pass one of our three display windows. I employ 7 people. Saltaire is a beautiful village with a community feel, offering a number of shops, cafes and restaurant.
Do you have an online shop/website and do you use social networking for business? Yes, we have our own website
www.walkinstyle.co.uk, where we deliver worldwide. Social media is an extremely time-consuming process, but we understand the benefits, so we have recently invested in this area.
How are you finding the footwear market currently? Very difficult, as customer will come in to try then go away. The shop is constantly competing with e-commerce.
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