15th Anniversary Sale!

12th Street Shoes

15th Anniversary Sale

Fri.-Sun., May 16th-18th

Come help us celebrate our 15th
anniversary! Enjoy 10% off all
regular priced shoes & accessories.
Come early for best selection of $20, $40 & $60 shoes. Don't forget to peruse the special accessory sale tables. Free gift with purchase of select brands while supplies last.

Bring in a pair of gently worn shoes to donate to the YWCA's Back toWork Boutique and receive an extra $5 off your purchase (one per customer)

No pre-sales or holds.
Doors open at 10am on Friday!

Dansko Days Trunk Show

DANSKO DAYS TRUNK SHOW

Saturday, April 19th

Noon - 4pm

Come spend the day with us - pampering yourself!

From your head to your feet.

We will have the Dansko representative at our store from Noon to 4PM with all the colors & patterns of the shoes in the Spring catalog. Danskos are a wonderful way to make your feet happy!

Then we are having mini facials from RODAN + FIELDS® DERMATOLOGISTS, using the REDEFINE MACRO EXFOLIATOR™. Reclaim your skin's radiant glow in just five minutes and experience the results of smoother, even, and more radiant-looking skin. Sign up in advance for a 20min session.
 E-mail us at info@12thstreetshoes.com to set up an appointment.

Anyone that comes in to try on a pair of Dansko shoes or get a facial will be entered to win a pedicure from Jimmy's! What a fun way to spend a Saturday!

So come in, bring a friend and see what Dansko has to offer for Spring & Summer. If we don't have the exact color or style you want, we'll happily order it for you.

 Free gift with every Dansko purchase.

Fashion Show Post Script

Fashion Show Post Script

So, it has been a week since our Mad Hatter Tea Party and I finally feel that I can move on to the next task. You wouldn't believe all the behind the scenes things that happen to make it all work, both before and after. Have to say Pinterest is my friend. Found some great ideas for invites and decorations on there. 

So it all starts with a fun theme, then it's deciding what the invite should look like, how we should decorate and what kind of food/drink we should serve - that all fits in to the theme. Of course, then I have to pick a fun outfit because I love to dress up. You have to make sure the alcohol folks know you are having a party. This is the first time I was visited by the Liquor Control Board and we have been doing this for 10 years. It was a bit unnerving but it went fine. 

You have to make sure to coordinate with a clothing store and get all your models sized and fit. Then the best part, picking shoes to go with. The night of, we always close early, order pizza and start decorating. There is a last min check to make sure clothes match shoes since the initial match was done with text pics. Then making sure you have a script, listing shoes and then a side list of everything else you want to say, people to thank. Of course you need door prizes which means door prize entry forms. Can't forget extra chairs for seating

Have to make sure invites get out in a timely manner - of course they do say that Bellingham is a last minute town! Then you cross your fingers and hope people come. We usually have between 40-50 women there. I hope everyone has a good time. I love putting them on!!!! It's fun to come up with new themes.

After it is all over, clean-up put the store back together, make sure all the shoes get put back out, especially if you borrowed some from a display. Return the chairs. Then go home by 10pm, put your feet up and have a glass of wine! Well, deserved. 

The next day, time for thank yous - hand written for as many as you can. Then of course you have to post pics on FB and Twitter. Return everything you borrowed. Clean all the dishes. Apologize to your hubby for making the house such a mess for the event and then promise him that it will be better next time. Of course, he knows better!

Mad Hatter Tea Party Pics

Just uploaded all our pics from the fabulous night onto our FB page! Enjoy!

https://www.facebook.com/12thstreetshoes

Mad Hatter Tea Party & Wonderland Fashion Show

Mad Hatter Tea Party& Wonderland Fashion Show

March 20th

6:30 - 8:30pm

$40 Clarks Shoe Sale

 

 

$40
Clarks Shoe Sale

Friday, Feb. 28th - Sunday, March 2nd 

  

So excited! We are having a very special shoe sale for you -  we are bringing in some very special Clarks shoes - Indigo, Privo, Artisan, & Original, all at $40/pair. We have sizes from 6 through 11. Many of the styles have never graced the doors of 12th Street Shoes. We have heels, casuals and sandals. All styles for all gals!  

Not all of the styles are available in every size. But there will be something for everyone! So come early for best selection!

 

Looking forward to seeing you all there!  

 

 

Accessories Show - Day 1

Accessories Show - Day 1

We just finished our first day at the Accessories market in Vegas. No, not all of these gals are from 12th Street Shoes. We happen to run into these gals at  the Eric Michaels booth and come to find out, they are the cousins of Allie, who works at 12th Street Shoes. Such a small world!

Saw lots of great stuff today. Bought some amazing Nino Bossi handbags! Love all the new colors - the oranges and the turquoises. I think the Nino Bossi bags were my favorite of the day.  We even found some super fun fingerless gloves. They normally just shop for Spring but these were too cute to resist.

The best part of the day was when Gail realized that she was actually wearing two different shoes. Luckily she had another pair in her purse so she was able to switch them out. Had quite the laugh over that. So looking forward to tomorrow - all shoes and nothing but the shoes!!!! Will give you a full report tomorrow! Night!

Jody

Shoe Show Winners!!!

Shoe Show Winners!!!

So, which shoes made the cut for the Shoe Show???? Look above - those are the select few who get to come in my suitcase for the show. You have to be special to make it. You have to be fashionable - best compliment ever, is one another shoe show attendee says " What shoes are you wearing? They are fabulous!" AND they have to be comfortable, you are on your feet for 10 hours a day. 

So from top left we have a pair of black suede Earthies and her little sister, in red. One of my favorites. I have that shoe in 3 colors. Next around the clock are a pair of Clarks in the "In" color for Spring, Orange. In the middle is a pair of Naot flats, just in case I have a foot emergency. The bottom pair are Ahnu's - my go to travel shoe. Love this shoe!!!!! Lastly, is another pair of Naot's - they don't look like it. Can't wait to try those out!

Going to be a good show - six pairs of shoes and 4 days. Not bad! Just hope I don't go over the 40lb weight limit for baggage.

Shoe Show Eve

Shoe Show Eve

We are less than a week away from heading off to the Vegas Shoe Show. Have to say, it is my absolute favorite time of the year! I love going - I love seeing all the new shoes. Yes, your days are long. We have appointments every hour on the hour starting at 9am until 6pm. But, I don't care - I love it!!!! It has been a year since I have been to the show. There was a death in my family so I had to miss the last show. I am so excited to be back. I can't wait to see what Fall 2014 has to offer. Oh, no! We aren't looking at Spring - that was purchased 6 months ago. We will be looking at everything for this coming Fall.

We have a newbie coming with us to the show. Brandi is coming for the first time ever. She is a bit nervous. We already told her that since she is the sample size, she cannot wear wild socks when she tires the shoes on. Trust me, wild socks takes away from the look of the shoe you are trying on. Brandi can't wear socks!!! 

The biggest question is "what shoes to bring:? Trust me, everyone at the show will be looking at your feet. You have to look absolutely adorable and be super comfortable since you are on your feet for at least 10hrs. My top two choices are Earthies and Fidji. May have to do a little shopping ahead of time - orange is such a big color for Spring and I don't yet have it in my wardrobe. Think I need it for the show!!!

Super excited - can't wait to get there. I promise to bring you all the up coming trends for Fall. First one - zippers! Many of the boots I have seen so far have extra zipper details on them. Dansko has some fantastic ones! Fall is going to be good!

Jody

Cold Weather Fashion

Cold Weather Fashion

So, we are on the eve of heading off to the Super Bowl in New York. Yep, this 12th Fan is going to be there to root on our beloved Seahawks. I am so excited that I can hardly stand it!!!!! So, now it is time to pack, yes, I am a last minute girl. What do you wear to do the Big Apple for the Super Bowl? It is supposed to snow. I have no clue what shoes to wear for that! We don't get snow in the 'ham. How do I look amazingly fashionable and still keep my toes warm. 

I want to bring my blue sparkle Ugg boots - have to have those for the game. But what do I wear around town. I am one of those people that is cold when it is 70 outside. How oh how do I keep my toes warm. What do New Yorkers do? Do they keep their fabulous heels in their purse and wear snow boots around and then whip them out once they get inside? Seems a bit much. I have true snow boots but I want to look cuter than that. 

I have some amazing boots. I think I will just suck it up and put on three pairs of socks. I can do this, it is only for a weekend. I want to represent the 'ham well.

Go Hawks!!!

European Sizing

European Sizing

I will try to take the mystery out of the European sizes if I can. For most of the brands, at least the ones that we carry, the easiest way to convert is to just drop the 3. So a size 37 - becomes a 7, a size 39 - a 9 and so forth. Didn't know it was that easy, did you?

Many shoes with European sizing don't come in half sizes, so if you are the half size, start by going up. So if you are a 6-1/2, start with the 37, which would be the 7.

Unfortunately, there are a couple of brands that throw you for a loop. One is Josef Seibel. They size just a bit different. You go down a size with them, so a 37 is a 6 instead of a 7. Naot is the same way. I cannot tell you why but it is what it is.

For the most part - just drop the 3 and that is your size. If you ever have a question - just ask, happy to help!

Fall 2014

Fall 2014

It is that time again! We start looking at what each of the brands will be offering for next Fall. Hard to believe that we are looking this far in advance. We will be headed off to the shoe show in about a month. Up until then we get teasers from some of the brands. Most we see at the show but there are some that come and visit us at our store.

Today we got to see Ahnu. My favorite shoe of theirs was the tall boot. It very much incorporated styling from the Tsubo line. Both Ahnu & Tsubo are owned by the same company, Deckers. The best part of this boot is that it looks like a Tsubo but it has the comfort of the Ahnu. Love it!

The picture doesn't do it justice. But it really is fabulous! I love to look at new shoes! You usually see trends throughout the brand. Since Ahnu is the first brand that we have seen - not sure what trends to expect. Next week we get to see Dansko - super exciting!!!

Winter Clearance Sale

WINTER CLEARANCE SALE
at
12th Street Shoes
Starts Friday, January 10th - 10AM

Store Hours: Mon - Sat 10am-6pm, Sun Noon - 5pm
1204 Harris Ave, Bellingham, 360-733-2066

 

WINTER CLEARANCE SALE
at 12th Street Shoes
Starts this Friday, January 10th at 10AM 

Time to clear out the winter shoes and boots to make way for all new Spring shoes. Our wonderful selection of
Winter shoes & boots will be up to 50% off.

There is even time to sneak in before the Hawks playoff game on Saturday!

 

All of our classic Ugg boots will be 40% off. It's still chilly out there -these will keep your toes nice and cozy.

 

Time to clear out the slippers too!.

All of our Haflinger and Ugg slippers will be 40% off.  

So many savings and so little time. All discounts are limited to stock on hand, sorry, but the savings do not apply to special orders.  So come early for the best selection.

Looking forward to seeing you all there!

I Love Red!

I Love Red!

Have to say, I don't know what it is but I love to wear a pair of red shoes! Below is just a sampling of the red shoes from my closet.Oh, yes I have many, many more. You have to after being the owner of a shoe store for 10 years!

Red shoes can add the just right amount of spice to an outfit. Image yourself in all black with black shoes...boring! Now put red shoes with that same outfit and POW, people are telling you how fabulous you look! The little red Cole Haan stilettos on the left are my go to with my little black dress.

It's funny the top three colors for shoes at our store are black, brown and then red. See I'm not the only one that loves red shoes! We hear lots of "I love red" comments. They just make me happy. I have lots of black in my wardrobe - its slimming you know - so adding that little pop of color on my feet just makes me feel good!

To Barter or Not to Barter....

To Barter or Not to Barter....

I would love for someone to comment on this, recently we have had a number of customers wanting to barter on the price of the shoes in our store. Every time it happens I am floored. I guess it just isn't something that I would do in a retail store no matter how big or small. 

I have a tough time imagining the same person going into Rite-Aid and asking for a discount on shampoo so I wonder why it is ok to do the same in a small local store. Someone had asked me the other day, "Is this the best price you can give me?" as if they were bartering for a new car. It just throws me for a loop. We do our very best to give you amazing customer service, attending to your every need. We also spend lots of time looking for the highest quality, most comfortable yet stylish shoes that we can find. And we do our best to package all that up in a reasonable price tag (many times we are bound the price set by the manufacturer).

If you wonder what happened, I didn't give her any additional discount. I felt our products were priced reasonably and any further discount would cheapen the brand. I have given a discount when the product is damaged - I have no issue with that but lately it has been customers that want a discount for discount sake. 

If only we could give every customer a 100% discount but then of course I would have to win the lottery to support my business : )

Jody

Inventory Time

Inventory Time

Oh yes, January not only brings new shoes but it also brings inventory counting. That necessary evil. So what does that exactly mean? Well, two times a year, we count absolutely everything in the store and compare it to what our computer says. I know, technology is never wrong but you would be so surprised. So why are things off you ask? For a number of reasons - 

1) Unfortunately, we have people in this world that like to take things without paying for them - yep, the shoplifter. It is sad but true. It's a tough crime to prosecute too. So in the end, it is less money that I get to take home to feed my family and pay my bills. I could write a whole disorientation on how angry this makes me but a will save that for another post.

2) We input things in incorrectly all the time - we are human.

3) Then of course there is the occasional item that travels to my home and I forget to remove it. 

4) We sell the wrong item out of the computer. It happens. Again we are human.

So we get to spend our Saturday night and Sunday frantically counting before we reopen on Sunday afternoon. Crossing our fingers that nothing has been stolen and that we can explain all the differences in the computer. Best part - I always serve dinner and breakfast. Can't work on an empty stomach - of course none for me, just finished day 2 of the cleanse. So I just get to smell all the goodies. Trust me, the smell of the pizza tonight almost sent me over the edge : )  

New Season - New Shoes

New Season - New Shoes

This is my favorite time of the year - when the seasons change! In shoes there are essentially only two seasons, closed toed & open toed shoes. It's interesting, we buy for each season about 6 months in advance. By the time we get to Spring - I have usually forgotten everything that I bought and it becomes like Christmas everyday. 

The shoe seasons, at least with the brands we buy from, never seem to coordinate with the weather here in the Pacific NW. They want sandals to ship in February and we don't feel the warmth of the sun until August. If we don't bring some in early, then the brands are sold out by the time our sunshine arrives. It is a very delicate balance. We don't want the styles in the store to become stale but we do want to make sure we are able to get you the right styles when the weather hits!

Up above are the brand new Earthies. I told you yesterday - orange is in! And lots and lots of laser cut leather. So excited for the new season even if we are getting Spring shoes when it is still in the 30's outside.

Almost forgot to mention - woo-hoo! Just finished day 1 of the cleanse. I am hoping the cleanse will shrink my feet so I can fit back into those shoes I used to wear before baby came along!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year Shoe Lovers!

I have decided to resurrect the blog. It's a brand new year so why not! I was so ready to kick 2013 to the curb and start on with 2014! Last year was tough for me. I lost both my mom and my puppy dog. Makes it hard to go on with your work. But I think I'm ready. If my dad can be out dating again, I can start blogging again and focusing on the store.

I have always debated what to write in this blog but I really should write about shoes, of course, what it is like to be the owner of a shoe store and all the fun things that happen in the store - oh the stories I could tell! Like the time when we had two women come in and the loved the acoustics of our space so much they broke out into song. When they sang Amazing Grace, everyone in the store had tears down their cheeks. Or the time when one of our employees hit the trigger on a can of pepper spray by accident and we had to evacuate the store. Good times!

I also want to write about a challenge that I friend of mine gave to me but I can't start it until February because right now I am getting ready to start my 21 day cleanse and I can't do two things at once. But her challenge does involve shoes - lots of them - just the teaser I will tell you more as we get closer. I am just hoping to make it through the cleanse, so you may see bits and pieces about that in here as well.

It is also time again for new shoes. Spring is going to be amazing! Hot color...orange! Not sure who picks the color of the season, because that would not have been my first choice. Lots of tribal influence and you are still going to see platforms. Going to be good!

 I am so excited to be back and cheers to a happy 2014 and of course, lots, and lots of fabulous shoes!

Jody