This Just In: NYC Kicks

Rubbernecking Report

The streets of Gotham serve as the scene for traffic-stopping sneaker gawking. Photography by Marcy Swingle

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go back to the way it was. The future will just be different.

But not all the changes brought on by the pandemic have necessarily been for the worse, right?

There have been some good changes, like the hybrid work model when possible. Being flexible with our office employees has been a huge improvement. Frankly, it makes me mushy how everyone in our company has done a beautiful job working remotely. If people hadn’t been devoted and done a great job, maybe we’d have gone back full time by now. But our people have been fantastic. And while there are plenty of people in our office each day, to know that you can be flexible—that you can pick up your kid at school and do the rest of your calls at home—has been a huge silver lining. I believe this work flexibility has changed forever for us.

Have consumers, by and large, forever changed how they work, shop, recreate, what they wear, etc.?

In many ways, yes. For example, it’s forced companies to ramp up their on-demand capabilities. Consumers really love flexibility, whether it’s how they work, how they can buy something online and pick it up in a store or how fast they can get something shipped. I think the pandemic has accelerated those on-demand shopping trends.

What is Minnetonka doing to meet these shifts in shopping habits?

Through the capabilities of our warehouse, which is fantastic and has been long before the pandemic. We ship fast, and that comes from a very honest place when, decades ago, our account list consisted mainly of independent gift stores mostly open Memorial Day to Labor Day. They would fax us orders on Sunday nights to fill in on what they sold over the weekend, and we’d ship on Monday to get it to them by the following Friday. We had to ship quickly because if they missed a weekend…those stores couldn’t make up that lost business. So fast shipping is in our bones. It’s why we’ve been well-positioned to maximize the drop-ship model, as well.

It’s safe to assume another strength of Minnetonka’s of late has been slippers.

Slippers has been a strong category for us for the last decade, really. Coming into 2020, we were already in a good position, offering high-quality slippers at a good price-value. Then the pandemic hit and it seemed like everybody else was focused on stopping the flow of product because of the uncertainty. However, we noticed early on that our ecommerce sales were rising. So we doubled down and kept ordering inventory, and when fall 2020 arrived we had great product available and our sales were fantastic. So 2020 overall was a success for us. It’s one of the great benefits of being privately owned—we can make decisions fast.

What are some other recent company improvements?

This year, we’ve updated all of our account agreements and invested in a new MAP compliance policy, which helps clean up all of our channels of distribution and makes sure our retailers represent the brand properly. It’s another example of investing in our brand for the long-term, which has been a big overall theme for us this year.

What’s Minnetonka’s outlook beyond slippers and moccasins?

We’re definitely planning to expand further beyond our core categories. Our Fall ’22 collection features more casual styles, and we’re excited to see where eco-friendly takes us going forward. While we’re not a “comfort” brand with lots of technologies, we’re considered casual and comfortable, which is a feeling consumers have about our brand. For example, our Home & Away slippers collection that we launched in the fall of 2019 are being worn more outside than inside. It’s been a really strong category for us and represents a good example of what we want to do going forward. We’ll definitely be focusing on products beyond the home—like our sandals collection that we’ve been making since 1999. We think of ourselves as a footwear brand—that happens to make hats, as well.

As a woman, do you bring a fresh perspective to Minnetonka’s executive team?

Sure, which is still a rarity within our industry overall, sadly. It’s been proven that having various perspectives in a leadership team is crucial to success. I think it’s an advantage for us, and I hope there will be more women reaching this position in our industry. Along those lines, I also think there’s an advantage of being a parent with young kids. Corporate leaders need to understand that their employees have full lives. Our president, for example, has a four year old and a two year old and the CEO is their grandfather. I think being understanding of those responsibilities is very important.

Is there any added pressure of being the fourth generation?

Not really. My cousin and I think we bring a fresh perspective and new ideas, as well as a desire to prove ourselves. That said, we have a legacy in our family where the older generation partners with the younger one and is generous about turning the business over eventually. Our legacy is a positive. This isn’t like that show Succession. (Laughs.)

What do you love most about your job?

Our employees, that every day is different and building on our company’s legacy. It’s really special to be part of a 75-year-old company. Being independently, family owned is a big part of who we are. A lot of footwear companies these days are owned by bigger companies, and more and more conglomerates are being formed. Not us. My dad and my grandfather, who still works here by the way, often joke: “We wouldn’t know what we’d do all day if we sold the company.” They tell that one to me all the time. •

Minnetonka firsts: Reconcilliation Advisor Adrienne Benjamin’s capsule hat collection and eco-friendly moccasins—both available this month.