BUSINESS: Head Over Heels
Let’s face it, most women love shoes. To some they aren’t just foot covers but a fashion statement completing each outfit. That is, unless the shoe doesn’t fit. According to the trained specialists at Head Over Heels Boutique in Edmond, “almost 80% of women are wearing the wrong size shoe.” Business partner Sue Krominga explained, “If a woman has a narrow foot, she may buy a smaller size to make it fit better. Most shoe stores carry mainly medium-width shoes but we try to carry more of the widths that you can’t find in a standard store.”
Sue shared how her partners, Kelsey Krominga and Katie Cornman, used their previous experience and expertise to convince her that opening Head Over Heels Boutique was worth coming out of retirement for. “I’d been retired for four years and was busy with volunteer work when Kelsey and Katie brought me a business plan. They’re business students at UCO but both of them have worked for a specialty shoe store in the past. We felt like there was a niche for this kind of store here in Edmond. Although high fashion is a little harder with specialty shoes, we wanted to offer fashion shoes in brands that make the slims, narrows, medium and wide widths.”
Head Over Heels Boutique’s vintage décor and brands like VANELi, Clarks and Sesto Meucci could be indicative of a store found in Dallas and that’s one thing that customers love. “There’s a large number of people who drive to Dallas to buy shoes or they order them online. We have customers come from OKC, Norman and Enid specifically to come to this store. One lady called and has a friend from Georgia that’s coming in when she visits. Our customers tell us they like the friendly, comfortable environment and love the vintage theme.”
Varying widths in high fashion isn’t the only thing that makes Head Over Heels a specialty store. Their full-service specialists are trained to help each customer find the perfect shoe. “When people come in with an odd-size foot, we bring them what we have in their size. We’ll walk out with six to eight boxes in their size and they’re shocked we have that many,” said Sue. “Our dream is to have more stores, in other cities and states. But our biggest success is to be able to fill a need and have people come in and share that with us.”
Head Over Heels Boutique carries a variety of Brighton jewelry and handbags as well as FarmHouse Fresh products. The store also has new spring shoes in, including Cole Haan and Brighton.
Head Over Heels Boutique is located at 1201 NW 178th Street (2nd & Western) in Edmond. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, call 285-1700, search for them on Facebook and Twitter or visit www.headoverheelsok.com.
