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Keeping footwear all in the family

Farnoosh Torabi | Special to amNewYork

January 7, 2008

As it strides into its 28th year of business, comfort shoe store Foot Gear Plus seems to be in pretty, healthy shape. It's no small feat maintaining a family-run footwear shop amid a sea of competitive shoe stores in New York and on the Internet.

Its modernizing East Village neighborhood has also kept the business on its toes, not to mention its prices rising. Since the early 1980s the average shoe in the store has more than tripled in price to $200, and most shoes are now designed in Europe. "The changein the East Village is night and day," said Linda Sciffo, who leads Foot Gear Plus' business strategy. "The artist bohemian theme is gone. They all moved to Brooklyn because they can't afford the rents. What has come in are a number of students, a lot of Europeans and we still have a lot of our customers who moved to DUMBO or outer Long Island who still come back. They come back because of the service. That's the secret."

Linda's brother Tony Sciffo founded the business in 1980 and agrees its longevity is thanks to exceptional customer service and loyal patrons. Foot Gear Plus takes custom orders and returns are rarely denied. "I always tell my guys who work for me'There might be more than a thousand shoes stores in New York. Why come to us?' That keeps me level headed," he said. There's also at least one family member present at all times, ready to assist, whether it is Tony, his sister, niece, wife or 19-year-old daughter.

Still another key to the business' vitality is managing inventory, which can take a good bit of guesswork, due to unpredictable weather. "This winter we're doing good, but last winter was very tough for us it was mild and we need some messy weather in December and January," Tony Sciffo said. For example, they may risk overstocking on waterproof boots and losing money when the weather doesn't cooperate. "We're not in the shoe business. We're in the weather business," he says.

In the New Year, the Sciffos' plan to revamp their Web site, footgearplus.com, and spend more on marketing to further attract tourists, not to mention local shoppers in the East Village. "We're committed to this neighborhood. We are creating a discount card to all the [area] businessesto let their employees come in and use the discount."

Find it

Foot Gear Plus

131 First Ave. at the corner Saint Mark's Place 212-777-2629

If the shoe fits
In 2005, footwear sales in the U.S. totaled $49 billion
U.S. footwear sales are expected to rise more than 20% by 2010
Women spent $18 billion on fashion shoes in 2006, or 884 million pairs of shoes.
Online shoe sales rose to $955 million in 2006.

Sources: Mintel Group, market research firm in Chicago American Apparel and Footwear Association NPD Group