Wakey wakey and giddy up

Melbourne is finally beginning to stir after a long slumber. And I mean loooong slumber. I think almost all Melburnians agree that it’s been a particularly drawn out winter and by now, most of us are heartily sick of it. It’s not just the weather either. As gorgeous as winter fashion can be, there’s only so many months you can wear your collection of boots before you begin to itch for a sandal or more open shoe.

Of course at this time of year there’s more happening in Melbourne that just spring. The September to November period is when the city arguably comes into its own with the world famous Spring (horse) Racing Carnival. The Melbourne Cup in November may be the most well-known but there’s a slew of race days that are almost as big leading up to, and in the days after the Cup. Cox Plate, Derby Day, Caulfield Cup, Oaks Day, Emirates Stakes Day – and these are just the main events. The integral part of Spring Racing however, is the fashions. Everything from the shoes, frock, bag and headwear must be duly planned and of course none can be seen twice! At the shop we’ve had a taste of the days to come with women and girls coming in over the past weeks to try on headwear and shoes, and the clever ones snapping up their shoes and accessories early on. We’ve noticed that whilst most women are trying on the hats and fascinators, the younger glamazons are choosing elaborate hair clips and headbands which looks amazing on the younger set. Whichever is chosen, there’s no doubt that’s it’s a particularly glamorous time of year. Giddy up!

Glamazons of all ages

One thing I’ve noticed about customers and visitors to the shop is that they certainly are not of any particular age group. (Or gender, but that’s a topic for another blog entry) We’ve had customers into their 70s, and of every decade down to pre-teens. The youngest customer so far was around 11 years old and already needing a size 10 shoe. Happily she had a number of styles to choose from and left with a gorgeous (and more importantly, age-appropriate) pair of sparkly silver ballet flats.

That girls this young are already glamazons is not anything new to me. I have 3 daughters in primary school, all looking very likely to follow in their mother’s glamazon footsteps. My 10 year old is already sporting a size 8 (ladies) shoe size, the 9 year old a more modest size 4-5 and the 5 year old set to break all family records with her size 1s. In her black school shoes, I can’t help but conjure up images of Minnie Mouse – minus the ears. The girls (and boys) are definitely all getting taller. I may be one of the tallest mums at school pick-up but my girls are certainly not the tallest girls in their age groups, with a quite a few considerably taller. Could be something in the water or perhaps it’s that chicken theory again?

Whatever it is, this current generation of girls will be making the word ‘glamazon’ a part of everyday language.

Delicious dilemmas

The delicious dilemma of too much choice. Is there such a thing when working with shoes? Well, yes, there is when you’ve had very slim pickings up until recently. For most of us with a foot size over 10, we’ve had to learn to settle for shoes that we don’t love, but do fit and are kind of what we were looking for. I recently had a customer in looking for a formal shoe for an upcoming wedding. Size 11. She had driven over 40 km so I really felt the pressure to help her to find what she wanted. The happy news is that not only did she find a shoe she liked, but she found a few different styles. I cannot describe the pleasure of seeing the look on her face as she deliberated between her choices. Multiple shoes. Not just ‘should I get the plain boring one because it fits or leave without and hope I’ll find something before the event’.

Now that’s job satisfaction.

Work and passion

For the first time in my life, I truly, madly, deeply love what I do. (The only way I could love it more is to be able to draw a wage but hopefully that will come in time!). I can honestly say that working in this particular market supplying beautiful shoes for bigger feet is a real passion for me. Sure, there are tough days where I have to dig deep, particularly being self-employed as well as in the start-up phase. On the other hand, no matter what your job – corporate, self-employed, stay at home mum/dad, you’re going to have those days. What helps me to keep going? In addition to my belief in the Glamazon Shoes concept, my biggest thrill is connecting with the people that walk through the door, whether they buy or not. In fact, buying is almost secondary sometimes. To quote the Pantene ad, “it won’t happen overnight but it will happen”. In this day and age of self-service and shopping in vast, impersonal chain stores, providing a personalized service where you can get to talk to and know your customer can be a real throwback to the ‘good old days’. A customer may not buy that day but make the connection, understand what they want, and there’s a good chance that they’ll be back again. And again. And in the meantime, I have a great time connecting with many of them.

Special mention to some lovely customers all the way from Shepparton – Sarah & Melissa, in town to shop for Melissa’s bridesmaids’ shoes. Absolutely delightful trio (with mum in tow) who ended up with 3 pairs of the same shoe style in sizes 8.5, 11 and 13. Yes, it’s great to make sales from a retail and business perspective but this was eclipsed by the immense satisfaction of being able to fit all the girls, particularly those who upon entering the shop declared what an ordeal it was to shop for shoes as she rarely managed to find ones that fit (Hi Sarah!).