Q: How did COVID impact your business? Tell us about your experiences, the difficulties you encountered and how you have managed to overcome these? A: The pandemic very nearly made me lock the doors for good; after just buying my first business in 2019 to have to survive something like that is nothing you can be prepared for. The most frustrating part was not being able to fit and look after children’s feet and make sure they were wearing the correct shoes. Once restrictions were eased slightly, I offered a doorstep fitting service, and without this I would not still be here today. The government grants and the bounce back loans helped, but sadly that is still debt that has to be paid back. And that’s all on top of a changing high street with the increase in online shopping; the streets are so much quieter than they ever used to be.
Q: Do you have an online shop or website, and do you use social networking for business? A: I have an online store –
www.soleswithheart.co.uk – which has been running for a few years now. This did generate orders during the pandemic, but we had a fairly high return of children’s orders due to the fact that they weren’t being fitted properly in store. And in my shop I use Shopify to keep an eye on all stock.
Q: What’s selling well right? Which are your best-selling footwear brands – and why? A: I would say for ladies’ footwear the best brand is Vionic, which offers trainers, sandals or boots with built-in arch support – a fantastic selling point for my ladies that want comfort and style combined. As for my children’s footwear, I would say Ricosta and Froddo are on equal par as they both offer different things; Ricosta shoes are loved for being so lightweight and very supportive, whereas Froddo shoes have very good fit, and the leather is so soft!
Q: How important is shoe fitting to your business? A: I’m a member of the Society of Shoe Fitters. I only have one other member of staff who works part-time with me during the week, and two other ladies that work for a few hours with me every other Saturday.
Q: Do you sell other items besides footwear, such as bags, gloves, tights, socks and similar products? A: We have a range of bags from a brand called Envy Bags; they aren’t leather but they are very well made and offer some original designs. I also sell Miss Sparrow bamboo socks and scarves.
Q: How do you select your products based on what are your customers looking for? A: The most important criteria for me is quality, then price; I need to know that the shoes I choose will fit in with everyone’s working day.
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