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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2007)
10 october vernonia’s voice craftsmen 2007 Muffy’s Enterprises - A Step in Time, Fun, and Comfort By Jill Hult Spalding first introduced the saddle shoe in 1906 as a sport shoe. The shoe was primarily a golf shoe and did not be- come very popular until the 1940’s when college students began to wear them. The saddle shoe saw its hey-day in the 1950’s and since then has become harder and harder to find for those loyal to the shoe. Muffy and Allen Marshall are a pair of those loyal saddle shoe wearers that recognized the increas- ing difficulty in finding a quality saddle shoe. They also realized there was a niche market for them, so in 1996, ninety years after Spalding, their adven- ture in the saddle shoe business began. The Marshall’s were able to purchase about 500 pairs of saddle shoes from a friend in Portland who had acquired a warehouse of “dead stock” shoes from a company in southern California called Karl’s shoes that were approximately fifty years old. They also sought out shoe manufactures that still pro- duced saddle shoes. They found Willit’s out of Pennsylvania who are now Muffy’s primary manu- facturer; they also contract with manufacturers in England, China, and Mexico. Every year, the Marshall’s had gone to the larg- est shoe expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, although rarely returning with much merchandise because there weren’t many manufacturers of saddle shoes around. This shortage led the Marshall’s to design their private label saddle shoes. Muffy was able to take the pattern of the sad- dle shoe and make affordable changes such as coloring, soles, eyelets, perfo- rations, and pinking. Stewart Marshall is their men’s line and Muffy’s is their women’s line. Customers can also spe- cial order children’s saddle shoes from Willit’s. Muffy’s has nearly forty styles of saddle shoes to choose from and in nearly as many colors! Pric- es range from $49-150. They also get factory seconds that are sold at half-price. Ninety-five percent of Muffy’s business comes from online customers at Muffys.com or Saddleshoes.com (they own both domain names). Muffys. com has visitors who pur- chase the shoes and share their stories and pictures from all over the world. Cus- tomers will typically get their shoes with- in seven to ten days after placing their order. The Marshall’s say they wouldn’t have been able to start this business without the Internet because it is such a unique market; the site gets approximately 100,000 visi- tors a year! Until recently, Muffy’s Enterprises’ only form of advertising was word of mouth and through Google search optimization strategies. Some of their clientele include, Gilmore Girls (the former T.V. show); The Color Purple on Broadway; Hairspray, the movie; colleges, drive-in business- es, DreamWorks Production Company, and most recently Muffy’s Saddle shoes were featured in an ad in the August issue of Blueprint Magazine. Once the magazine reached its customers, Muffys.com hits doubled overnight! The Marshall’s are currently working on opening a store with a saddle shoe and memorabilia museum. The store will carry their private label saddle shoes as well as some other types of shoes such as the English sandal, Mary Janes, and boots. They will also have a full line of shoe care products and socks. The Marshall’s are very happy to be in Vernonia. They say they have been welcomed with open arms and have had many visitors – some from as far away as Germany. Muffy’s is located at 950 Bridge St. Vernonia, OR 97064. Their hours are 1-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and at other times by appointment or chance. You can contact them by phone at (503) 429-5050 or toll free at (866) 524-5050. Of course, they are also just a click away at www. muffys.com or www.saddleshoes.com. ON MADISON STUDIO Hire the passionate. Watch what happens. With a wonderful mix of talent, experience and education, we offer the following services: Marketing Events Communications Photography Web Design Come learn about us at: onmadisonstudio.com “We make the ordinary extraordinary for our clients.” Reach us at: (503) 317-2632
