Last month, I attended the Atlanta Shoe Show. One night, I went out to eat at Ray's on the River, which has been around for at least 20 years. The next day, I got a call from the restaurant asking me if everything was ok with my dinner (I left a decent tip). I was then asked if the service was ok? I was honest in my response but it got me thinking of a strategy that one of my customers employs. After this store owner sells a baby shoe, he waits about three days and calls the customers and says, "Hello Mrs. XXXX, I am calling from XXX and just wanted to follow up on the recent purchase of your daughter's baby shoe. Is the product wearing ok? Are you noticing any red marks on your daughter's feet? Is she walking ok?" The phone call takes a total of 45 seconds but as my account attests, goes a long way in customer retention and loyalty. A personal phone call will differentiate you from 99.9% of all the other retailers competing for the business.

Sole Food is one of my favorite stores in the country. The buyer Annie is progressive, leverages the fact that it is a local business, and wants to try product that stands apart. Sole Food's customer is hip, and their blog really resonates with their followers. The store opened it 2003 and had been growing at an incredible pace. Annie and her staff do a great job getting to know their customers on a personal level and establishing a relationship that begins "on the fitting stool".

Recently, Twig held its first ever "Twig Day" at the store. The entire Twig family participated, as our kids passed out trees and balloons. We all agreed that the day was a real success. Taking two family owned businesses and promoting the idea to shop local resonated with Twig, Sole Food and the consumer.

I have been asked this question many times and I would like to make sure our customers understand Twig's position: "Will Twig be selling off of it's own website"? The answer is NO! Margo and I feel strongly that it is incongruous to sell you Twig product and then compete against you by selling against you. We have no doubt that you don't need more competition! Should we ever change our position on this, we can promise you that you will hear it from us first.

Lisa at Closter Bootery in NJ gave us kudos for the "touchability" of our sandals this spring. She suggested that Twig incorporates the really comfy footbed we used into our entire product line. I think Lisa is right so we will be testing this new footbed to make sure it does not change the fit too dramatically. Please keep your ideas and suggestions coming. Please send to: Ken@twigfootwear.com

Our fall sell in season is almost complete. We are incredibly pleased with your support of the brand and feel it is a privilege to a part of your assortment. We promise to work on continuing to come up with product that stands apart. Many customers have told us (usually at shoe shows) that everyone's product seems to look like everyone else. There is no way we want that said about Twig!

Have a wonderful April!