Footnotes - The Newsletter of the Shoe Service Institute of America

For more than 60 years, the Shoe Service Institute of America's Silver Cup Awards have recognized the best in shoe repair craftsmanship and retailing. The top retailer in 2004 was Charles Bolinger of Chuck's Shoe Repair and Comfort Center in Fort Wayne, Ind. He received SSIA's Retailer of the Year Award at the group's 100th Annual Convention in Philadelphia.

Bolinger is a second generation shoe repairman who loves what hedoes. He started working in is father's shop at 11-years-old and has been in the business full time since he was 20. He describes himself as an agressive marketer. He keeps hisname in front of the public by advertising regularly.

Print advertising is the cornerstone of Bolinger's marketing strategy. He advertises with varying frequencies in the Fort Wayne newspaper, neighborhood newspapers, tabloids and school and church bulletins.

"We get a very good response from print advertising because we've used it regularly over the 30 years I've been in business," Bolinger says. "Consistency makes the difference. If you advertise once a year, you won't get the same response as when you advertise weekly or monthly."

To reach the right audience, Bolinger rotates his ads between three sections of the paper -- the sports section near the prep scores, the entertainment section near the movie listings and restaurant information, and the women's section. He uses his ads to educate readers and keep his name in front of them. He avoids coupons.

"Shoe repair is not necessarily something that's going to get an immediate response," he says. "It may be a month down the road before someone needs you. I haven't had much luck with coupons, but consistent, cost-effective print advertising has worked very well."

Bolinger also incorporates community publications such as school and church bulletins into his advertising plan. It reinforces his presence in the community and builds goodwill with people involved in the organizations he supports.

"These publications are very affordable and constantly in front of people," he says. "When you're involved in the community, it is noticed and appreciated. We hear back regularly from people who saw our ads in those publications and commented on their appreciation. This type of advertising is weekly and goes on all year long."

In addition to his print campaign, Bolinger did a good bit of radio advertising last year. Using both humor and education, he used Fort Wayne's oldies station to reach the audience he wanted.

"We came up with some clever commercials that made people stop and listen," he says. "We also advertised Lynco orthotics and the Apex Foot Analyzer. We talked about sore feet and what that product can do."

The listenership of the station is primarily adults between 40- and 60-years-old. The orthotic ad was particularly relevant as sore feet is a problem in that age group. Additionally, the oldies station is used for background music for a number of Fort Wayne businesses. This gave Bolinger added exposure.

"We also advertised our Western boot award on the Country Western radio station," said Bolinger. "That worked very well. We had a lot of people come in who had no idea where to get their boots repaired."

In addition to paid advertising, Bolinger also received free media coverage for the award including a television interview.

Bolinger also keeps his name in front of the public by giving back to the community. He is involved with several organizations including a local women's shelter and a local theater.

"Working with charitable organizations is a good way to give back to the community," he says. "We help the local women's shelther by donating 10 percent of our receipts on Mother's Day weekend. We also collect money for the shelter throughout the year."

For the theater, Bolinger repairs shoes and boots and does other maintenance and repair work to support their stage productions. In return for his time and materials, the group puts his name in the back of their program.

"It's supporting and being a part of the community," he says. "We always hear from people who appreciate it."

When asked what he does in his store, Bolinger says he makes sure things are clean and fresh.

"One of the negatives about shoe repair is that a lot of stores are dark and dirty, or they're so cluttered no one knows what they have," he says. "We organize and keep things clean. We bring in new products and work with our customers to make sure they get the product they need. We take the time to educate them."

"Going to the shows is definitely a plus," he says. "You'll find new products. We've brought in several new things. You never know what is going to be the next hot item."

Tarrago instant cream polish is one of those products. Bolinger says it has been a phenomenal success. He has also done well with Lynco orthotics, Angelus' spray mink oil and a cream product called Black Rock.

Signage is also important to Bolinger's in-store effort. His store is located next to a Blockbuster Video store and gets a lot of foot traffic.

"We use our front window to attract passers by," he says. "We use self-adhesive letters in the window and change our message constantly. We entice people to stop in and look at what we have."

Of course, all of the marketing in the world won't make a shop successful if it doesn't produce quality work. Bolinger fills the bill there as well.

On the craftsmanship side of the contest, Bolinger received a first place award in the Midwestern region of the Silver Cup Contest. He also received first place awards for his orthopedic work and men's full sole and heel job. His Western boot entry was named best in show and he received second place awards for both his ladies and men's full sole and heel entries.

"Repairing shoes is definitely my first love," he says. "Retailing is one of those things I've gotten into, perhaps slower than I should have, but I love to fix shoes."

When SSIA launched Footnotes, its principal purpose was to answer the question, "What can SSIA members do that's affordable and effective to bring more consumers into shoe repair shops?"

With that in mind, we asked members about the best things they did in 2004 to increase their business. Here is what they said.

Dana Huval's top idea for 2004 was working with a local radio station to do a live remote broadcast from her store the morning of Veterans Day. She tied in with the special activities in Crowley that day and got her business noticed as well.

The work for Dana's event started several weeks early. She contacted suppliers for promotional goods with the idea that she would give gift bags to veterans who came to her store. Several responded and she was able to produce not only gift bags, but a larger tote bag full of merchandise for which she held a drawing.

Promotion for the event was built into the package when she invited the radio station. The station promoted the remote broadcast heavily for a week prior to Veterans Day. When the day came, the people came as well.

"Different restaurants donated food and we had a really nice breakfast-type atmosphere," Dana recalls. "People came in, showed a military id and we gave them a bag and a free shoe shine. It brought a lot of people into my store who I had never seen before."

"We found that the free shine brought in business as well," she adds. "When they came back for a shine, they brought other work with them."

Dana said the cost to bring the radio station to her store was more than covered by increased sales during subsequent weeks. She plans to use remote broadcasts again in the future to boost business.

Dana also supplied the radio station with free shine cards which were giving away daily.

"They were given away all morning with the station's trivia questions," she says. "I got at least five free plugs a morning. I even went in and gave my commercial twice a week. It was a great advantage with potential and current customers getting to know all about my business. I get questions all over town about shoes. It worked great for me."

The best thing Jeff Lipson did for his business in 2004 was move it to a new location.

"My old location was in a mall and not visible from the street," he says. "You had to actually go into the mall to find me. The new location is on a main street. More than 53,000 cars pass me every day. I'm next to a Blockbuster Video store, and I don't have to tell you how many people they bring in."

Jeff's new location is in a small strip center -- only six tenants. He felt his store was lost in its former location, saying shoppers could come to the center, buy their groceries and never know he was across the parking lot.

"It's making a huge difference," he says. "I'm seeing people have haven't seen for years. I'm seeing new people, and I'm seeing people I saw in the other center more frequently. They're telling me it's because I'm more easily accessible."

To make sure customers could find him after the move, Jeff sent post cards to his customers and ran two direct mail ads with Money Mailer. He called key customers and left a sign in his former window as long as the landlord allowed.

"The old adage location, location, location couldn't be more true in my case," he says.

Gene Hartsock offered three ideas that have helped his business. First is a bonus card.

"The best way to come up with new ideas for your business is to look at what other businesses are doing," he says. "Frequent buyer cards are in."

Customers keep the card and Gene stamps it each time they purchase either repair work or retail merchandise. When a customer spends $100, they get a $20 coupon for future repair or merchandise.

Some shoe repair shops have problems with customers who don't pick up their shoes or bring their claim checks back. When Gene's customers bring their claim checks back, they're entered in a weekly drawing. Each week, he gives away a $10 coupon toward a shoe repair or merchandise purchase.

"I send each coupon at the end of the month," Gene says. "It's a post card that I designed myself that thanks them for their business. People are excited to win, even $10. It builds goodwill."

To further address the issue of keeping claim checks, Gene has a sign in his shop titled, "Five Reasons to Keep Your Claim Stub." They are:

Gene produces all of his promotional materials himself using desktop publishing software. He learned with the help of the printing business across the street and can now produce printed materials very affordably.

Gene also points to his web site as a business builder. Located at www.hartlandshoes.us, the site was visited by 450 customers or prospective customers in December.

At this point, the site primarily contains information about Gene's business and shows samples of his work. There are limited opportunities for customers to buy products, but that's something he intends to expand in the future. He uses a web coupon to encourage customers to visit his site.

Gene encourages reciprocal links with suppliers. He includes several supplier links on his site and has suppliers link back to him. Urad, for example, sent 300 web visitors Gene's way last year.

Finally, Gene's web site allows him to interact with shoe repair customers around the country.

"It gives me a chance to talk to the customers," he says. "I answer e-mail before and after work. I can be helpful and provide extra value."

When Ray Torcaso's landlord decided to sell the building that housed his business, he decided it was time for an upgrade. He found a new location with more space and has been reaping the rewards ever since.

"I was in my own building before. I was secluded," Ray says. "I found space in a converted grocery store with six other service-oriented businesses. It's like an all service mall."

Ray's store is surrounded by an eyeglass store, a title business, an interior design business, a postal/shipping business, a dry cleaner and a hair salon.

"Being next to a dry cleaner is great," he says. "I have people drop off shoes while they're dropping off clothes."

"I'm seeing my regular customers more and I've gotten new customers I've never seen before," he continues. "They come to see me because it's no longer a special trip."

Ray's new space is also larger than before. It enabled him to put in more effective retail products and displays.

"All of these years, people didn't know I had laces. Now they're noticing the retail," he says. "I have a waiting area. I have displays. Customers can sit or shop while they're waiting for their work."

Ray is also meticulous about keeping the front of his store clean. The new location and professional appearance have increased his customer base and helped him expand the services he provides.

Ten years ago, Bob Fisher wanted to learn something that might add enjoyment to the long Minnesota winters. He decided to take up winter camping.

"So I was in my back yard freezing because I didn't have any of the right equipment and God sent me this idea to move the tent to the front yard and do something for the needy people in Wayzata," recalls Fisher, who owns Bob's Shoe Repair in Wayzata, Minn.

Wayzata is one of the most affluent areas in the United States and Fisher didn't think there were any needy people there. Still, he set up his tent and decided to sleep outside until he raised $7,000 to buy hot holiday meals for people who needed them.

"About two weeks later, I brought the money to an organization called Interfaith Outreach in our community. I felt really good about myself and figured I was done," he recalls. "In a very nice way, they asked me what good a hot holiday meal will do for a family of four that is living in their car. They said affordable housing and homelessness were their biggest problems. I was astounded that, in an area as affluent as this, there could be affordable housing and homeless issues."

In 2004, Fisher slept out for the ninth consecutive year. In 37 nights, he was able to raise more than $1.25 million for his cause, bringing his total sleepout contribution to more $4.25 million.

Fisher's good works generate considerable media coverage as well as a number of community awards. An unintended, but welcome, side effect has been a boost to his business.

"It never has been a way to grow my business, but that is a side effect of it," Fisher says. "Business does increase. We do a really good business and it's a lot of fun to help so many people."

Because it's such a long running event, Bob's Sleepout generates its own media coverage. Fisher and his team send out a press release prior to the kick off each year and the rest takes care of itself.

"I've been doing this for so long that the media calls me now. I've gotten to know a lot of the radio and television personalities in the area," he says. "I've received a lot of awards, so there's constant publicity. There's a lot of media all the time."

Having established his event as successful, Fisher's next goal is to expand the sleepout to other communities. He spoke in suburban Chicago last year and a former Minnesota pastor has started the program in St. Louis. Former Minnesota Twins third baseman Corey Koskie was a sleepout supporter and plans to take the idea to Toronto where he will play for the Blue Jays next year. High school students have also taken the idea to college towns as they graduated and moved on with their educations.

"This year, we're going to create a kit that we can take to other communities to get other people involved," Fisher says. "We'll make it very simple so they understand clearly how to do it."

Fisher says you must clearly define a need in the community, find someone who is willing to sacrifice some time and follow a few basic steps to be successful.

"It's about getting people involved and helping them to see that it only takes one person to make a difference," Fisher says. "We're all one person. We really can change the world if we want to."

Renia GmbH, the tannery of Joh. Rendenbach Jr. and Freudenberg rubber brought me to Germany for the educational trip of a lifetime in September. When I arrived in Cologne, Germany, I spent two days at the Renia glue factory. I met with the head chemist, Heinz Buchholz, and was given a tour of the whole plant. Words can’t describe what I would learn over the next few days.

First of all the plant is so clean you would think it was a hospital. Watching how they make the different glues was fantastic. The second day I went into the lab to learn all the different materials that are made on shoes. They test everything in this place. They have a classroom where repair shops & orthopedic shops come in and take classes.

It is like a college classroom. They test the new materials that come on new shoes so they can teach their customers how to bond it. They put much into education in the shoe market. I really wish we had the same kind of set up over here.

After the work was done at Renia, Heinz took me on a tour of Cologne. The Cologne Cathedral is over 500 years old and is a sight to see. It is truly a wonder.

While in Cologne, I went to some shoe repair stores orthopedic shops. The stores are very clean and modern. The shoe repairers go to school for several years in order to work in the shops.

The next day, Heinz took me to the city of Prum -- at over 170 mph on the Audubon? There I met with Heike Kuhly from the tannery of Joh. Rendenbach Jr. This company is more than 130-years-old. They tan the most incredible soling leather I have ever seen. They treated me like I was part of their family. I saw everything from the pits where the leather is tanned for one year to the finished product.

The tannery of Joh. Rendenbach Jr. is in Trier, Germany. It was the first city in Germany and was built by the Romans. Lots of walls and buildings are still there, and the food there was also incredible. I spent two days there.

After two days in wonderful Trier, two representatives from Freudenburg rubber came to pick me up. Thomas and Holgar took me to several shoe repair and orthopedic shops. These stores are a must to visit when in Germany. They are so advanced in their orthopedic technology and their repair centers are just as educational.

Thomas and Holgar then took me to a 500-year-old castle which is now a winery. We toured the winery and had two-hour taste testing. The education in the winery was as much fun as the glue factory.

Thomas and Holgar then made me a lifetime member of the MBS. MBS is an association that was formed in BK town Germany. Thomas and Holgar are the president and vice president of this respected association.

While I was in Germany, my house and business suffered heavy damage from Hurricane Jeanne. My store was closed because of a sink hole in the shopping center and my house that was badly damaged including a tree through the roof. We didn't know how we were going to make it. We had three hurricanes come through in six weeks.

We lost a great deal of money and spent the last bit paying to get the tree out of our house. In a matter of days, money started coming in to help us from SSIA members and friends. We thought we were going to lose everything. We were facing a $10,000 hurricane deductible. With the help of you wonderful friends and FEMA, we are going to come out of this with only a bit of dirt on our shoulders. I can’t thank all of you enough. My three children and my wife thank you as well.

My life is this industry and I promise to always give it 100 percent. I love teaching and learning in this industry and I love all of my friends in it as well. I will always be there for any of you who want to learn and share ideas.

Question: If anyone takes in a pair of Sergio Rossi women's shoes, the dowels are threaded and screwed into the post. What can we do?

Question: I’m having problems hitting the original holes in plastic storm welted shoes, mostly around the heel. Is there a different table that you can install? My table has a lip. I guess it’s to keep you from catching the upper. It seems like that lip is pushing the shoe out too much. I have a Landis K.

Question: I stretched a pair of Italian ladies pumps and the front part of the shoes are now wrinkled. How do I get rid of the wrinkles?

The Shoe Service Institute of America will be hosting a regional exposition Sunday, January 30, 2005 at the Sheraton Gunter Hotel in San Antonio, Texas. The expo will feature the latest in shoe repair products and services as well as educational seminars on shoe repair and business strategies. Registration is free. Click here for directions.

By now, you should have received an invoice for your 2005 membership dues. You can renew your membership in one of three ways.

If you're enjoying this issue of Footnotes, remember, this is a publication for SSIA members only.

The Shoe Service Institute of America has produced more than 500,000 promotional bags for shoe repair shops. Pictured on the left, the SSIA bags prominently feature the group's logo and web address.

"The purpose of the bags is to make consumers think about shoe repair and to give them an idea where they can find more information," says SSIA President John McLoughlin. "We have just redesigned our web site to make it more consumer-friendly. Our hope is that the bags will generate some awareness and drive consumers to the new site."

SSIA's bags have sold out to member wholesalers in short order. More bags should be available soon.

SSIA is now accepting entries for its 63rd Annual Silver Cup Awards. A Silver Cup award gives you a unique promotional tool for your business. Not only does it bring recognition from within the industry, but it also helps distinguish you from your competitors in consumers’ eyes.

SSIA's Silver Cup Contest has recognized excellence in shoe repair retailing for more than 00 years. The Silver Cup reflects the standard of “recrafting” or “re-manufacturing” that has been set for today’s shoe repairers. Winning entries should look like they just came out of the box at the shoe store.

SSIA estimates there are approximately 7,500 eligible shops and 8,000 eligible craftsmen. The association will award a Grand Silver Cup, and plaques in three regions for first and second place winners. In addition to the award, winners will receive a press release to help you promote yourself as a member of the SSIA Top 4 craftsmen for the SSIA’s 63^th Annual Silver Cup competition.

As an additional bonus, a free night's stay at the hotel for the Grand Silver Cup winner and packages of supplies and materials for every contest entrant who comes to the show.

Thank you for considering the Silver Cup Contest. Take time to carefully prepare your entries and we hope to see you at the Silver Cup Awards presentation.

Entry Requirements

Repair one shoe from each of three pairs; (1) A man’s Goodyear Welted shoe with a full sole and a new heel; (2) A man’s Goodyear Welted shoe with a half sole and a new heel, (3) A ladies’ shoe with a half sole and a new heel or lift. Restore the uppers on the repaired shoe as well.

The repaired shoes must be submitted with their unrepaired mates. “Unrepaired” means never before repaired. The judges need an unrepaired shoe to judge how well the other one has been restored to its original condition. Do not enter new or like-new shoes. Entries must be in need of repair. Entries must be received by July 14, 2005. Winners will be announced at SSIA's 101st Annual Convention.

Send entries to:

Silver Cup Contest

c/o Konomos Distributing

5629 Truman Road

Kansas City, MO 64127

Contact: Bill Konomos

816-483-9388

The Shoe Service Institute of America's 101st Annual Convention will be held recently July 30-31, 2005 at the Doubletree Hotel Overland Park Corporate Woods in Overland Park, Kansas near Kansas City. The convention will include two days of educational seminars and exhibits, as well as SSIA's annual Silver Cup Awards presentation.

SSIA has reserved a room rate of $79 single/double for convention attendees. Make your reservations today.