WASILLA – Fans of well-made footwear no longer need to drive to
Anchorage to pamper their toes in their favorite kicks.
Just in time for Christmas, the Long family has opened what may be
the Mat-Su Valley’s first independent shoe store Dec. 22 in the
Creekside Plaza, 1830 E. Parks Highway.
After years working in and managing Anchorage shoe stores,
patriarch Dave Long said the family decided to parlay its years of
retail and shoe store experience into a new shopping opportunity
for Valley shoe shoppers.
In stock at Northern Comfort Shoes and Apparel now are brands like
Dansko, Børn, Doc Martin, Bogs and Merrell. Coming soon are shoes
and boots by Sorrell, Solomon and Columbia.
Dave and Tammye Long said their children have years of experience
working in Anchorage shoe stores. After kicking the idea around for
a few years, they took classes through the Alaska Small Business
Development Center in Wasilla and opened the new shoe store last
month.
“It’s a good resource for people wanting to start a business,” Dave
said. “And a lot of their classes are free.”
Siblings Elise and Christian Long also played a big role in picking
the product, their parents said.
Elise said she picked out shoes with an eye to Alaska’s environment
and the Valley’s laid-back fashion sense.
“And from the reactions we are getting, I think you’ve made good
choices,” Tammye said.
Christian said the goal is to offer quality shoes that will perform
well in Alaska’s unforgiving environment. He said Alaska’s weather
is hard on shoes, too, and cheap department store shoes often break
or fall apart in a few months.
Mom Tammye said consumers are beginning to see the benefits of
investing in well-made footwear.
“I think people are starting to realize that it is actually cheaper
to buy one pair of well-made shoes rather than replacing them every
few months,” she said.
Dad Dave said he’s worn Dansko’s for years and has purchased so
many pairs for his family over the years that it just made sense to
open a store.
Elise said the store is a good fit all around. “Our whole family is
shoe people,” she said.
For now, both parents also work other jobs, too. Tammye is a
manager at Target and Dave operates a vessel based in Dutch
Harbor.
“It was a good decision,” Dave said. “We want to be here for a
while.”
Tammye said it’s been great working together as a family. She said
they taught their kids school at home until they were high school
aged and this business has provided an opportunity for the family
to spend lots of time together.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to be able to work with our kids,”
she said.
In addition to shoes, the store also offers Smartwool apparel and a
good selection of “crazy” tights, Tammye said.
In the future, Christian said the store plans to offer ski and
snowboard gear, too.
“We want to grow with the community,” Dave said. “Anything we can
think of to help the community – I’m all for it.”
Although the store has only been open 10 days, he said they welcome
from the community has been warm and enthusiastic.
“We already seeing ladies coming in off the farm to get their
Danskos,” Dave said.
For more information about Northern Comfort Shoes and Apparel,
contact 376-5403 or northerncomfortwear@gmail.com.
For more information about Alaska Small Business Development,
contact Julie Nolen at Alaska Small Business Development Center
aksbdc.org or 373-7232.
Contact Heather A. Resz at heather.resz@frontiersman.com or
352-2268.
Article source: http://www.frontiersman.com/business/family-business-good-for-the-sole/article_0843dfa6-3368-11e1-b6fe-0019bb2963f4.html
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Tags: Ladies Shoes Fashion
