I met William a few years back as I nervously stumbled my way through my first WSA show in the most uncomfortable shoes ever. I still remember how bad my feet hurt! Four inch heels are a terrible idea during WSA, but I didn’t learn my lesson the first time….I still have the tendency to sacrifice my feet for  great shoes….So anyway, at the time William was working for Birkenstock (now with Hush Puppies, Wolverine World Wide) and I ventured up to his booth to say hello to his former boss who was not around. I ended up speaking with William and since then we have always kept in touch.  He knew all about Shoebizness from the very beginning and had the idea to kind of be the “road warrior” contributor.

We finally got on the phone today and sealed the deal so here you go….his first tale from life on the road. Iowa is where he was this week and I have never been, so I found this story to be quite interesting!! Also, I asked him to send a picture (as I always do) and this was his response, “Funny you should ask.  I don’t think you have kids…I do, and my 8 year old is doing a project called “Flat Stanley” for school; it’s based on a book where a little doll gets sent around the world.  Kids draw a picture of Flat Stanley and then have him photographed in different places.  I was tasked with taking Stanley on “a business trip” this time around, so I actually have a very funny, Iowa-centric one for you.”

I like Flat Stanley! He looks like he is having a good time!

 Notes From The Field

“Not Everything Is Flat In Iowa” – that’s actually a women’s t-shirt for sale in the Des Moines Airport…and it was the first thing I saw as I set foot on Iowan (Iowian? Iowish?) soil.  I have to admit, even after all my years slinging soles on the road, I have spent just about no time in this state.  Aside from zinging in and out of Davenport for a Von Maur meeting, Iowa simply has not been on my radar.  So I was actually looking forward to seeing the state, meeting the retailers and going somewhere I haven’t been.

As a tried-and-true Long Island boy, I set out with the requisite New York Eyeroll about being in “flyover country” – but as a shoeguy, my eyes quickly stopped rolling and were actually opened a bit.  Thanks to Katie (our Midwest Territory Manager) we covered hundreds and hundreds (and hundreds!) of miles and saw a good cross section of Iowa retail…and in doing so I saw some of the best retail establishments I’ve seen, and met some terrific retailers.  Places like Rudolph’s and Emmerhoff’s are stores that rival any of the more popular names you read about in FN, yet thrive way off the (traditionally) beaten path.  You Midwest sales pros are probably scratching your heads and saying “no kidding, Einstein!”  But I’d venture to say that I’m not alone in my ignorance of the quality of retail out here.

What’s also key about this state is that it holds surprises as well – it’s not all just “Iowa Farm Boys” (incidentally – it is amazing to hear the reverence with which Iowa women refer to their “Iowa Farm Boys”; if only my wife would dreamily stare off into the distance when she talks about “Long Island Mall Rats”).  After a good three hours slogging through miles and miles and miles of farmland (and no corn, for crying out loud – you’d think I’d at least have seen some corn, but alas I was too early in the season) we pull into a hamlet that could only be referred to as a “one horse town.”  After muttering under my breath “what kind of rathole is she taking me to” we walked into Art’s Shoes – a store that rivaled any downtown NYC boutique with its product assortment, sales associates and overall vibe.  It certainly wasn’t a new store – they are established and thriving…don’t let anyone tell you that those Iowa Farm Boys just wear overalls.

Another pleasant surprise – after the doom-and-gloom we’ve all been enduring over the past 6 months — is the fact that business is holding its own in Iowa.  As the economy is basically locally (read: farming) based, it has been thus far less affected by the recession.  Great to see and helped add to the positive signs I’ve started seeing on either coast that a new reality is taking hold, people are getting on with business and doing what they need to do to make a living.

You’ll also find that there are towns that support 2 and sometimes three independent shoe stores, each with its own niche and customer base.  They all live in symbiotic harmony, specializing in a certain product mix and allowing each other to thrive.  Think capitalism is dead?  Think again – a pure free-market symphony can be found in Iowa.  Independents even live peacefully with the department stores throughout the state – trading customers, and building on each other’s businesses.

Am I moving to Iowa?  Hardly; my wife wouldn’t go for it, but infinitely more important I’m quite sure that quality bagels are nowhere to be found anywhere in the state.  It’s out of the question.  However, Iowa is an excellent illustration of the state of independent retail in the U.S. – it’s happy, healthy, and adjusting to a turbulent economy.

Now, let’s see if I’m brave enough to buy that t-shirt for my wife.  She’s from Brooklyn, so she might buy me a pair of cement shoes, but it’ll be worth the laugh.

-William Weiss

Director  of Sales, Hush Puppies