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Jennifer Robinson has taken her passion for shoes and turned it into a success. The Savvy Footwear & Accessories owner needs comfortable shoes these days to keep up with running her Westport shop and now a larger Brockville store.
"I've surrounded myself in shoes my whole life," says Jennifer, adding her grandmother taught her good shoes are works of art. It's one of the reasons she decided to buy the Savvy business originally founded by Theresa Kenney 11 years ago.
"It was a well-oiled machine already," says Jennifer of the business she and husband Jason purchased in 2015. She'd been working for Theresa for six years and had the benefit of her mentorship leading up to the purchase. "She was a wonderful teacher. I got to know what sells and what doesn't. The transition was seamless - we didn't miss a beat."
After a successful first year, Jennifer and Jason expanded into Westport in 2016 to an ideal Church Street location in the village core. Then in November, the Brockville shop expanded when it moved to a storefront three times the size of its former site.
"Our sales in Westport allowed us to expand to the larger store in Brockville," says Jennifer, adding Savvy has been very well received in the tourist destination village.
Jennifer has done some tweaking of the business, adding several new lines. She also saw a need in the region for men's shoes and her intuition paid off. They've sold "really well."
Her core women's brands are Clarks, Dorking, Rieker, Josef Seibel and Taos. She also offers 12 other footwear lines, four brands of handbags, wallets, jewellery and the Canadian Red Coral's line of leggings and tunics. In both her shops, Jennifer likes to have an elegant and welcoming atmosphere. Shoe shopping should be done in comfortable surroundings with an interesting decor. "Buying new shoes should be fun," says Jennifer. "Customer service is important." The Facebook page shows a 5-star rating with comments "fantastic" and "impeccable" service as well as an "awesome selection."
Learn more about Savvy by visiting their Facebook page or by calling 613-345-6850 or 613-273-6850 in Westport.
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