SERVICE WITH A SERVANT'S HEART

New brands being developed are Cole Hahn and Olukai, as well as Sofft and On Running. But the newest trend coming down the pike is ATHLEISURE. These are basically casual shoes on ath­letic bottoms. If you can, imagine distressed canvas lace ups and slip-ons, as well as burnished leathers, lots of colors on vulcanized outsoles and athletic outsoles with superior support. Dress shoes continue to decline and everything is evolving to much more casu­al. You will find that athleisure will influence everything from boat shoes to boots and sandals and you will see this trend in many colors and prints. It's all about putting an athletic outsole on every shoe in your wardrobe. Athleisure is here to stay for a while, they are easy to wear and it's something that everyone doesn't have in their closet. This new category of footwear is for the ageless and will be important for men, women and kids.

To our customers who voted us Platinum Choice, I want to express my true appreciation for this honor. This is very rewarding to me as well as the entire staff at Shoe Stop.

I also want to extend a sincere thank you to all the associates on the Shoe Stop team. It takes everyone from the front door to the back to receive this recognition. I especially want to thank our management team: Julie Mcdonald, Tara Nelson Thomas (TNT, as we call her) Chris Thomas, Greg Smith, Sarah Reeves and Cecelia Cox, who runs the Clinic. I'm proud of all of you. You can have the best product in the world, but you need the right people sharing the message to be successful.