shoe fits...
if the Build an Empire
Modern Cinderella not waiting on a prince to deliver her matching shoe
BY LINDA S. HOPKINSApetite blond takes the stage at the Marriott Ocean Resort in Palmetto Dunes wearing a blue striped shoe on one foot and a coral red shoe on the other. She didn’t get dressed in the dark, nor is she crazy, colorblind, or embarrassed; she’s well-aware that she’s wearing two different shoes. In fact, she makes it a point to do so as a way of bringing attention to the merchandise she sells—which works, because people really do notice if your shoes don’t match.
Half an hour earlier, Neely Powell, founder of Charleston Shoe Co. was on her knees, helping a group of over 400 ladies gathered for the Women’s Association of Hilton Head Island’s September luncheon shuffle through a selection of sandals, wedges and fall booties. From the level of excitement, you might have thought Santa arrived early or Elvis came back to life. But it was just Powell and her team turning women on to comfortable, stylish shoes—a combination of words not usually synonymous in the context of women’s footwear.
“There was a time when ‘comfort’ was a bad word in terms of style,” Powell said. But she has seen a shift in recent years as women of all ages embrace the mentality that