IsaBooties - created with love

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IsaBooties was created by two best friends. Libby and Laura had done everything together...high school, college, jobs, marriage and then most importantly... babies!

The two friends were always looking for great products for their bundles of joy...often swapping information. Libby and Laura often thought of ways that products could be improved upon and wondered why the manufacturers hadn't thought of it.

Soon their babies were in need of their first pre-walker shoes. They looked at them all...some of the shoes' leather scuffed or cracked easily...suede soled shoes became slick and slippery and all leather soft-soled shoes looked the same.

Libby and Laura knew there was much room for improvement. There were lots of things to consider though. Fabric, design and style options. The shoes had to be soft and comfortable. Easy to put on (for the parent) and hard to take off (for the baby).

There were other considerations. The shoes had to be machine-dryable, breathable, durable, skid-proof and fade- resistant. Now...you might think that the two friends were trying for the impossible...but they also wanted them to be hip and stylish!

Libby and Laura made some pairs for their own children...then their friends asked for them and so on and so on...until IsaBooties was born.

We made a few pairs of shoes for our own kids. We mixed bright, funky colors with unique ribbon accents. Soon, our friends wanted them. Then, their friends asked for them, and so on. Before we knew it, IsaBooties™ were born!

At the beginning - the Department Store

In 1838 Aristide Boucicaut opened the Bon Marche store in Paris that eventually evolved into the first department store by 1852. The Bon Marche displayed a wide variety of goods that were categorized (obviously) in "departments" all under one roof at a fixed price (no bartering like in the general stores). Plus there was one added feature.. a "money-back guarantee" allowing for exchanges and refunds. The Bon Marche (believe it or not) employed up to 4,000 employees and had daily sales of $300,000.

In addition, like most departments stores or malls today...the Bon Marche had a restaurant.

In New York, Alexander Turney Stewart build his Marble Palace at Broadway and Chambers Street in 1848. It was a much larger version of his dry goods store. The Marble Palace (among other things) imported European merchandise for women and offered the first "fashion show"
In 1862, Stewart build an even larger department store. Made out of cast iron, it was located on 2.5 acres and employed 2,000 people. The great glass dome skylight covered the central area of the grand emporium.

One would think that the marketing skills of that era were inferior but in addition to the aforementioned fashion shows and restaurants...Stewart also had full length mirrors for women to look at the items completely before they purchased them and an organ musician to entertain them. The purpose of this was that the women could literally spend an entire day at the Marble Palace (and other department stores like it) and thus spend more money!

Excellent marketing skills!

The General Store - a little bit of history

Before the days of the supermarket giants...the general store was where people purchased their goods. Through trade, cash or credit and even express mail later on.

But the general store was not just a place to buy goods...it became the venue for townspeople, entrepreneurs and farmers to conduct business as well as a place to get news, seek advice and/or discuss community happenings. From a business perspective it made sense to be where the customers were!

In our day in age it's hard to believe that the general store was so much to so many. With the technology we are privileged to have today...we can't imagine shopping in only one store. Today's consumer has so much more variety to choose from, methods of payment and delivery as well as the option to buy from anywhere in the world via the world wide web!