Sole to Sole Blog by Kassie Rempel, Owner/Founder of SimplySoles
Welcome to Sole to Sole…which is what exactly? Well, in internet
lingo, it's a blog. That word sounds so nasty. It reminds me of a
bad cold. (For all who are interested, I just checked online and the
term originates from the idea that it's a web log…weblog…blog…I
follow, but it's still unpleasant sounding.) Let's just call it a
forum. A cyberspace, meeting place hosted by me that is meant to educate and engage. So
please read along, and post your comments whenever the feeling
strikes you.
Facebook is addicting.
I just responded to a friend's request to join Facebook and now I've got the bug - the Facebook bug. I have NO time (I'm writing this as my hubby and children sleep if that's any indication), but here I am posting on people's walls. I think I need to put down the computer and go to bed. Seriously. I have a problem.
We had a SimplySoles event last week and I'm just feeling back to normal. It was at my house, so we spent a few days getting ready, and a few days undoing the damage (furniture arranging, cleaning the dishes, etc.) that was done. From what I heard, people loved the intimate affair. My mom and dad happened to be in town so the intimate affair turned into a family affair. I'd have pictures to share if my mom could figure out her digital camera (she's gifted with gab and remiss with gadgets). All-in-all though it was a fabulous event, and is inspiration for opening up a store front. If you have any opinions on the matter please share them. I seem to change my mind everyday.
I type this with worn and tattered, bruised and battered, fragile and frail fingers. Through 3.5 years of sending out the catalog, boxing up, and shipping out shoes, our single day shipping record was 127 shoes. Today - we beat that milestone by over 100 pairs. Crazy isn't it? Our previous record was 127 pairs boxed up and shipped out in one day. Today - we shipped out 250 pairs. It's not because we doubled our staff (which would have been nice.) It's actually because the Lillybees arrived late Friday evening, and the weekend was spent getting them ready for shipment on Monday. To put things in perspective, in the last 2.5 days we went through 15 rolls of packing tape.
So the staff and I are celebrating receiving our first shipment of Lillybees, boxing them all up, and reaching a shipping milestone that may not be surpassed in the near future. We're eating homemade cupcakes (courtesy of Paul "Rocky" Walker...I've taken to calling him Rocky because of his prowess boxing skills...as in cardboard boxing skills) and drinking champagne (courtesy of my husband who doesn't know I "borrowed" a bottle from his collection). Maybe we can get some mariachi music playing and we'll celebrate Cinco de Mayo too. Ole!
We're having our first SimplySoles party in 3 years. To keep it comfortably intimate, I limited it to 50 people and those slots were filled within a few hours. Now I'm not sure what to do. This is apropos Kassie. Unlike the Greek prophetess, Cassandra, I'm usually a 100% wrong when it comes to foretelling the future (like interest in coming to a SimplySoles party at my house). I find it rather humorous that I share a name with someone known for predicting the future when I'm so clearly inept. Buy hey, I'm really good at picking out great styles for the season, and I think that's a skill I'd rather have anyhow.
I feel that an apology is necessary - which is kind of silly because I don't really know who I'm apologizing to. Funny. I just feel like I've dropped the ball with my blog recently. For those who are following along, the photoshoot went well thanks for the good-fortune of a good hair day.
So I don't have the paparazzi to blame for my absence. It's something more personal - more real and less glamorous. My best friend left town for the West Coast and this week the reality of her absence is paralyzing.
I am the type who has few friends. I have many acquaintances, but don't have the capacity to have many good friends. I have a husband, 2 kids, and a demanding business. They are my priority. But the few friends that I have, well they are held near and dear to my heart. We have close and meaningful relationships. And this friend, the one that just moved, aside from my mom, she is the closest woman to me.
It's funny because she's Indian, and I'm extremely fair-skinned, but yet we look great in the same colors. We'd borrow sweaters, dresses and lipsticks. Those are the little things that I miss that were part of the fun of living in the same town. I know we'll always have our friendship. Now if I could just get my hands on a shade of Underplay by Mac, maybe, just maybe, I'd feel like she's not so far away.
I have my wonderful family in town (just a small but LOUD sampling) and an opportunity just came up that I couldn't pass up. It's to be featured in an article for DC Modern Luxury magazine. I am a subscriber, so naturally I'm honored. However. The timing couldn't be worse. As soon as my mom, sisters (and 3 boys arrive), I have to hand over my 2 kids (my wonderful nanny is having scheduled surgery this week) and say I have to run. I did. I had to get my hair blown-out for a photo shoot tomorrow. Pathetic excuse to be so rude isn't it. But if you saw my hair, you'd agree it's entirely justified. The problem is - it doesn't look any better. I blame the hair, not the stylist. I had an unplanned, unapproved hair chop a few months back and I'm still recovering. I'm growing it out and it's as painful for me to endure as it is for my stylist and family to watch.
We were just on the news. (OK - it's was really our shoes that were featured, but we're excited all the same.) The lovely Ylan McClintock talked up our website and the new lillybee line.
Today - March 20 - is the first day of Spring. Yesterday was 70 degrees in Washington DC. Today it's 45. Not really the direction in temperature I was hoping for, but if it's officially "spring" I feel justified in wearing my new spring sandals. I may look stupid, but I WILL look cute.
Did anyone else happen to come upon this article on how global warming could spur the movement of pythons into North America? We're not just talking about your average python (if there is such a thing). We're talking giant Burmese pythons. Just thinking about it gave me the shivers. (Seriously it did). If you ever needed a catalyst for "going green" or at least doing your fair share of recycling, I think this is it.
I just found out that a Senior Fashion Editor (Dana Wood) at W magazine just blogged about our lillybees. Dana is about as petite as they come. With beautiful strawberry blond hair flowing down her back, I confess I considered her more the Bettye Muller type (which isn't really saying much because who in their right mind isn't a Bettye Muller fan). Anyhow, I'm thrilled she loves our lillybees and am honored she chose to write about them. I of course love the line (given that it's mine, I guess that's no surprise). Based on the orders we've taken for the collection, I'm just giddy that I'm not the only one.
I was just emailed this picture and am rather disturbed by it. Not because it's slightly grotesque (which it is), but more because of the Eastern traditions that encouraged the practice and pain that was unnecessarily endured. I know women with larger shoe sizes are frequently embarrassed by the prowess of their feet, but looking at these images, are larger feet really a more unsightly figure than having one toe because the other four were routinely bound underneath the sole? I just don't get it. But hey, I also am vehemently opposed to shark fin soup (knowing what happens to the animal that subsequently is robbed of its dorsal fin and left to drown in the ocean). I'm all for looking pretty, but sometimes the cost isn't worth the reward. Being a CPA - it all boils down to a cost-benefit analysis.
As a CPA, as a retailer, if you asked me two months ago if this country was in or headed towards a recession I would have said yes. Ask me today, and judging by our phones alone, I'd say NO WAY! Maybe everyone just has spring fever, but we are selling shoes like they're new inventions. I'm thrilled with the business of course, even if it means I'm spending more time with a tape gun than my husband. Please just forgive me for not updating my blog more frequently. I figure it's customers who read it, and they'd probably rather have their shoes.
We have a new catalog in circulation and I thought I should explain the efforts we go through to be environmentally responsible. I could discuss this topic for hours, but will keep it short to spare you the lecture. Suffice it to say it's something I'm passionate about (probably as much as shoes if that helps put things in perspective). Living responsibly is a goal that permeates every aspect of my life. It seems a bit contradictory that I could care so much for the environment when I own and operate a catalog. It's certainly something I grapple with and am always looking for ways to do it more eco-responsibly. It should be noted that for the catalog itself, we use (and pay substantially more for) recycled paper. And in running the business I make certain that we do all we can to abide by the 3 R's - we REDUCE (for our lillybee line we are designing special packages to prevent the need of putting a box inside a box to ship shoes to our customers) REUSE (I drive my staff crazy but I've banned post-its and insist that everyone use scrap pieces of paper instead), and RECYCLE (we recycle EVERYTHING we can...from all the cardboard boxes, tissue paper, and packaging peanuts [which we don't use but occasionally receive], to the soda cans, toilet paper and paper towel rolls, and LeanCuisine boxes). But one thing more, we actually encourage people to call us to unsubscribe from the catalog if they don't like our products or better yet, they prefer to shop online. Shop online and stop the catalog. Curiously enough, it's OK with me. It's actually preferred.
The lillybee line has just been born, and I'm already feeling like she's mobile and I'm giving chase. I guess that's a good thing that the line has taken off so quickly, but being the parent of 2 kids, I can say that newborns can't walk for 6-10 months for a reason - to give the parents a bit of time to adjust. It's kind of like when we adopted a dog. She was 6 months old when we got her - mobile and fully capable of sneaking off and getting into trouble when given the slightest bit of accidental freedom. With Molly (the 4-legged piddle monster), she was all over the place before I realized how much more sentry than sentimental I needed to be. With lillybee, I'm hoping for less messes.
I'm just back (all of 2 hours) from New York on the buying spree for fall. My fabulous PR Agent went with me and unfortunately isn't as lucky to be home. As receptive as the fashion editors were to us (we met with Lucky, O magazine, W magazine, Town & Country, Brides, and Cookie), Jack Frost wasn't so warm. In fact he was ICE cold. It was snowing, sleeting, and 26 degrees when we left.
I am so excited!!! Yesterday I met with two fabulous women (Lisa and Nancy) who are helping me update the look of the catalog. Come September, it will be 4 years for me and SimplySoles, and I confess I've grown tired of the current layout. I still love it, but I'm ready for a makeover.
This reminds me...come May, I'll have been married for 4 years. I hope my husband doesn't think that I need a makeover too. Guess it's better than needing a facelift. I better start thinking about Valentines Day just in case.
It's been a long week. Our spring-preview catalog hit mailboxes this week and while I welcomed the flurry of activity, I'm exhausted! Funny then that I'm sitting here on a Friday night, typing away on my computer. I'm having a great time though. I'm watching "The Nanny Diaries," drinking some wine, while my children sleep and my husband enjoys a night out with his friends. This is a great way to unwind. I get to enjoy both my business and my family, but no one is asking anything of me and it's nice for a change. I love the chaos. But after a long week, the sounds of silence is music to my ears.
I've been on pins and needles, like I always am, waiting for response from the first catalog. I put myself through this every season and you'd think I'd learn to relax a little after 3.5 years of this! The word on the front lines is all good - we are hearing great reviews about the collection and the lillybee line is buzzing with buys. In fact, I thought I'd share one of the recent reviews we received: "Gurrll . . . the lillybee Halle shoe . . . ohh noo youu didn't. Three words: Fab; uh; luss.." I couldn't have said it better myself!
I built this business on the generosity of strangers - of fellow catalogers, etailers, and women-business owners who paved the path before me and were willing to share their knowledge, skills, and time with a new soul interested in pursuing a similar path. Looking back, I'm just humbled by the lives that have touched my own. From Andrew Newsome, the inspiration for my interest in starting a catalog, to Terri Alpert my ongoing mentor whose generosity is largely to credit for our success. They are the foundation upon which the likes of Darlene Fiske and Ada Tray have greatly contributed.
There's nothing in particular that makes me recognize these people today. And perhaps that's why its important to recognize them - because it's not a thanks for something in particular they've done, it's a thanks for the everyday support and inspiration, aware or not, that they provide.
The catalog business is crazy. Our first Spring Preview catalog hasn't even been mailed yet, and here I am mapping out the pages for the next one. Like fashion magazines, we work months in advance. It's exhausting trying to predict fashions and spending patterns. I mean, I feel like I know our customers and their tastes after nearly 4 years in the business, but I'll be honest, I can NEVER predict which shoe will be our best seller. It always surprises me, but that's part of the fun.
