In April, the shopping plaza on Dickinson Drive in Ingleside welcomed the addition of Carol Delorme and her new store, Farran Footwear.
On April 26th, Delorme, who lives just north of Ingleside, took a moment to talk about her new venture selling shoes and accessories and how she hopes to provide area shoppers with “quality” and “comfort”.
With 30 years experience in the shoe business, Delorme is well qualified to help her customers to find the perfect fit with a selection of dress shoes, comfort shoes, sandals, professional shoes and more from top quality lines.
Her former employer, Clark’s Shoe Store in Cornwall, is in its final year of business and Delorme felt that this was the perfect time to take the leap.
“I’ve always wanted to go on my own and I like the independence,” she said.
“This is a great little plaza,” Delorme said of her current location at 15 Dickinson Drive in Ingleside. “It’s a quaint little town. I like the small town atmosphere. People can come in and visit.”
Farran Footwear carries several lines of “quality comfortable shoes” for men and women, including the following: Alegria, Bandolino, Birkenstock, Hush Puppies, Rieker, Taos, and Volks Walkers.
“People who have tired, sore feet… I try to cater to them,” said Delorme. “I want to carry quality shoes that are worth the money.”
“I plan to expand the lines.” SAS (San Antonio Shoes) is just one of the shoe lines Delorme is pursuing. “It’s an American brand,” she said. “They have shoes and sandals for men and ladies… casual walking shoes.”
She pointed out that SAS has a great selection in terms of “widths and full and half sizes” with sizes 4 to 12 for women and up to size 15 for men. “They have a lot of shoes and they’re just a phone call away.”
She pointed out that both Birkenstock and SAS “cater to the special sizes.”
Delorme is quite excited of her Taos line, which is a line of “comfortable walking sandals.”
In addition, she also carries the Alegria and Volks Walkers line of “sandals and shoes with removable footbeds for those who have custom-made orthotics.” Alegria also includes professional shoes which are both stain resistant and slip resistant.
“I buy quality. I want happy customers. I want them to feel they’ve got a good pair of shoes,” she said.
In addition to selling quality shoes, Delorme also carries a line of fashionable quality leather wallets and purses. At present her stock consists of products from La Diva, which are so popular that she’s had to reorder twice already.
So far, Delorme has spread the word about Farran Footwear through advertisements in local newspapers and, more importantly, “through word of mouth.”
“I’ve had a lot of positive feedback so far. I’ve sold a lot of shoes,” she said.
“I would like to get to know what my customers are interested in and the sizes they want.”
In the event that someone is looking for a shoe or size not in stock, Delorme can place special orders.
On the afternoon of May 11th, Farran Footwear will celebrate its grand opening with special guest visitors, various give-aways, cake, tea and a draw for a free pair of shoes.
According to Delorme, she has invited MP for Stormont, Dundas, and South Glengarry, Guy Lauzon and his wife Frances as well as members of the South Stormont council, including mayor Brian McGillis.
She’s hoping that people will join them for the grand opening so “people can find out where I am, who I am and what it’s all about.”
“My goal,” she emphasized, “is to have what people want in this area. I want to keep with the quality standards.”
Delorme’s 30 years in the shoe business has left her with an overwhelming amount of customer service experience which she intends to put to good use with her customers.
Farran Footwear is located at unit 6 in the 15 Dickinson Drive plaza in Ingleside. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday to Wednesday and again on Saturday. On Thursday and Friday, the store is open an extra hour from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
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