SSIA PRESS RELEASE
Following is text you can use as a press release for your business. Simply copy and paste it into an e-mail and send it to your local media. If you like, you can personalize the release by changing some of the generic terminology (local shoe care professional, etc.) to your name or your shop’s name. When you contact the media, feel free to use SSIA as a resource they can contact for more information. The can contact webmaster@ssia.info or 630-866-8164 with any questions.
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Shop the Shoe Store in Your Closet
Are you looking to put a little pep in your step on a reasonable budget? Don't head to the mall. Take a look in your closet. According to the Shoe Service Institute of America, most Americans retire their favorite footwear too soon. Your local shoe repair shop can make your old favorites look new again for a fraction of the cost of new shoes.
"Most adults own two or three pairs of shoes they don't wear because the shoes need repair," says SSIA President Jim McFarland. "People are not aware of the variety of services available for both new and old shoes."
Of course shoe repair shops can replace heels and soles, oftentimes with materials far superior that those originally on the shoe. Additionally, they can:
- stretch shoes for increased comfort
- modify shoes to fit unique feet
- professionally waterproof shoes to protect from salt stains
- replace plastic heel tips with safer non-skid rubber
- apply heel savers to prolong the life of the heel
- apply protective soles to prolong the life of leather soles
- replace eyelets and other hardware
McFarland says only 25 percent of Americans regularly care for their shoes. The rest don't recognize the economic, physical and environmental benefits of shoe repair.
Quality, well-maintained men's shoes can be resoled seven to 10 times at a fraction of the cost of new shoes. With new soles and heels, and reconditioned uppers, the shoes will look like new, yet retain that broken-in, comfortable feel. It is not uncommon for a man to get 30 years out of a good pair of shoes. Quality women's shoes can be resoled three to five times.
Shoe repair can also alleviate a variety of physical problems. Worn heels will change your gait. When you are not walking properly, your feet, ankles, knees, hips and back can all suffer.
Improper fit causes calluses, corns and bunions. Shoe repair shops offer stretching services and fitting aids to alleviate those problems. Typically, they can stretch a shoe from a D to a EE in width. They can also add more space for toes or raise an instep. They can even stretch the calves on boots. If your shoes are too loose, you can pick up heel grips, tongue pads and insoles to create a better fit.
Finally, shoe repair is among the oldest forms of recycling. Each year, the shoe repair industry keeps some 62 million pairs of shoes out of landfills and on consumers' feet.
"Remember those two or three pairs of shoes most Americans have in their closets?" McFarland added. "That's another 495 million pairs of shoes we could service. We would like to keep those out of the landfills as well."
So if you want to spruce up your wardrobe on a shoestring, shop the shoe store in your closet. Bring your old favorites to your local shoe repair shop where everything old can be new again.
The Shoe Service Institute of America is a 115-year-old trade association for the shoe repair industry. Its members are shoe repair shops, manufacturers/importers of shoe repair and shoe care products and machinery and their wholesaler-distributor trading partners. More information about SSIA and its members can be found at www.ssia.info.