Little Bo Feet: First Foot Forward
By Kimberly Cockcroft February 10, 2005 Issue

“Little girls develop their opinions about what shoes they like and what they don’t like very early,” said Sally Sage Hills, co-owner of Little Bo Feet Children’s Shoes and Accessories, as she acknowledged just one of the many lessons learned since opening the store in July 2004 in Fort Walton Beach.

Hills says that Little Bo Feet appeals to the “boutique shopper.” She observed, “There is a difference between the boutique shopper and the mall shopper. Boutique shoppers have a specific task or a specific object in mind. Mall shoppers tend to be less task oriented.” Many people have stopped by her store and told her how much they loved boutique shopping. She says with a smile, “I’m a boutique!”

The store layout is open and airy with geometric areas of bright Caribbean colors mounted on the walls behind the various children's shoe displays. In the center of the room is a large, bright yellow elongated ottoman, perfect for little ones to try on shoes. The center area also contains a blue armchair for adults or taller children. Against the front wall for the toddler and pre-school set is a pair of curiously realistic rocking sheep. “When I opened there was just one rocking sheep,” Hills said. She added with a laugh, “you really have to have two. Two cuts down on the shoving of sisters and brothers off the one.”

Hills co-owns the store with her sister Nancy Sage Reinlie. “My sister kept her day job as an elementary school teacher.” Hills runs the store most of the time by herself, and her sister helps out on some weekends. When the sisters decided to open in downtown Fort Walton Beach, everyone complained, “there’s no room to park.” In fact, the store “has a parking lot as well as being just down the street from a larger parking lot.” Hills is confident about her decision. “I felt very strongly about being in downtown.”

Hills returned to her hometown of Fort Walton Beach five years ago after living in Atlanta. She has an 11 year-old son and a 16 year-old daughter. Impending college costs led her to rejoin the workforce early last year. Hills and her sister discussed a children’s shoe store they knew in Atlanta. She had always enjoyed taking her children shoe-shopping there, and saw an untapped need in this area for a children’s shoe store. “When considering the location I just felt very strongly about contributing locally.”

Hills and her sister agreed that the store name should have “both little and feet in the title.” During a brainstorming session, inspiration came. “My landlord’s husband said ‘what about Little Bo Feet.’ Everyone liked the play on words. Talk soon turned to a logo of a sheep. Then it was decided that the sheep should wear shoes. I am very proud of the results. We invested in having a professional design the logo. It just adds so much.”

Research was done in the Atlanta area to get a feel for children’s shoe store designs. She found the experience educational, but “I found more that I didn’t like than I did. I wanted the store to be bright and colorful—reflective of where we live.” She and her sister hired a store designer with experience in designing children’s shoe stores. Hills’ husband and nephew then implemented the design.

After naming the nearly dozen or so brands, including Merrell, Kid's Express, and Ralph Lauren that Little Bo Feet carries. Hills proudly announces, “The store carries a full line of school uniform shoes.” Little Bo Feet also provides special ordering for hard-to-fit sizes with some of the brands providing fast turn around time on orders. “The shoes in the store are made of natural materials. Natural materials breathe better than man-made ones. Materials that breathe reduce blisters.”

Hills has a few words of advice for parents regarding their children’s shoes. “Don’t use hand-me-down shoes. Even if they haven’t been worn for that long the other child’s foot will be imprinted in the shoe.” This imprint in shoes could make for an improper fit for the next child to wear the shoes. “Parents should have their children’s feet sized every three months. Young children sometimes don’t complain when their shoes fit too tightly. When buying shoes for your child, have a finger width between the end of the shoe and the longest toe.”

“This spring we will add to our inventory French and European shoes priced around $50 for both boys and girls.” Hills looks forward to “being open for sandal season, which we missed last year by opening in July.” Future plans for Little Bo Feet include expanding the store’s website, www.littlebofeetfl.com and possibly the hours of operation. For now, Hills invites everyone to “come by and see the winter shoe clearance sale.”

Little Bo Feet Children’s Shoes and Accessories is located, rocking sheep and all, at 174 Brooks Street, 314-7400

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