When we created this blog we envisioned it as a space that would help to bridge the gap between our new and sort of professional looking website and the friendly and informal shop in Aurora. Taking the leap to sell our shoes online is a huge one and greatly changes the way we do business. In the past people have had to come into our shop, meet our pets and talk with us to buy our shoes. Now they can just browse a webpage and click a few buttons. In the spirit of bringing the two worlds together, we'd like to introduce you, our online friends, to the shop and the personalities who shape (literally and figuratively) the shoes that we produce.
Let's see, where to start...
This is the sign at our factory/shop. We're working on a newer, bigger one and Bob (who you'll meet later) has made a beautiful stone wall to support it. For years this is the sign that has greeted our local customers. This shot was probably taken in late July - you can see the round hay bales and a little sliver of Cayuga Lake in the background. Open fields and nearness to the lake are what many of us love most about this area.
And this is what people see as they enter our shop...
photo courtesy of Marshen
Rows and rows of handmade goodness, just waiting to be tried on. Oh the places they'll go... Can't you just picture them all slipping on to different feet and walking in all kinds of directions?
Now that we've got you up the driveway and in the door, we may as well introduce you to the first personality you'd be likely to meet.
Who quit his corporate engineering career to move home and run a shoe company?
Photo Courtesy of Stephen D. Cannerelli / The Post-Standard
This guy!
Meet Dave. He's not really as short as he looks here (the photographer must have been standing on a chair) and a lot more friendly. This shot was taken at the end of a long day of being interviewed and making this video, so we'll have to forgive the "let's get this over with" look.
Dave took over production at Aurora Shoe in January of 2009 and is the person responsible for this new online presence. He's the youngest member of the team and was still in elementary school when the Company was founded in the early '90s.
Don't let Dave's newness to the team lead you to believe that he's new to Aurora Shoes. Dave has consistently owned at least one pair of Aurora Shoes since he was 13 and has lived less than a mile from the Company for most of his life. Dave has worn Aurora shoes to do just about everything. He wears them to dress up, to dress down (hay baling in Auroras was a common occurrence until he left the farm) and has also been known to wear them into the lake. He even gave them as graduation gifts to friends who had admired them in college.
Anyone who knows Dave can see that his love for and dedication to Aurora Shoes runs deep. This new leg of the journey is an exciting and meaningful one for both Dave and the Aurora Shoe Company.
Check back to meet more of the personalities behind our shoes!