A N OT E T O M Y Y OU N G E R S E L F
I T TA K E S T W O Jo e P i c k e t t , c o - o w n e r C a s i t a s Fo o t w e a r, d i s t r i b u t o r s o f Wo n d e r s , To n i Po n s and Onfoot, reflects on a life of great partnerships. of many years, where you enjoy catching up at shows. When she becomes HI JOE, Don’t freak out, but it’s you, writing from 2022! You’re Santana’s sales manager, she hires you as West Coast rep. Well, one thing 73 and mostly go by Jajoe now—the name your oldest granddaughter leads to another and now you’re a (happy) couple. gave you. Yes, you are a grandfather. You have four amazing grandThe Entrepreneur Era: It’s 2004. You both want your own company. daughters and Anne-Marie, your wife and partner in everything, has So off to GDS to discover a new brand, which you find in Hispanitas. two granddaughters. These amazing kids are a big part of your lives, You love these shoes. They fit the bill for a big trend you see coming: as are your three children and Anne-Marie’s son. fashion/comfort. Casitas Footwear is born in 2005! You think you’ll You are sitting in a room full of shoes as you write this. It’s a showretire on the strength of this brand, but the owner has different ideas room. You’re in the footwear business and surrounded by samples. on how to approach the U.S. market. (Many Euro comfort executives You and Anne-Marie own Casitas, which imports branded shoes from feel the same way, even if it’s proven time again to be a fool’s errand.) Spain that you distribute to shoe stores and online companies. What’s Fortunately, Hispanitas opens the door to other Spanish brands, namely an online company, you ask? It’s 1970 for you and the world has yet to Wonders, Toni Pons and Onfoot. They be turned upside down by the Digital represent the best of Spanish footwear: Age. Trust me, it’s life-altering. Quick comfort, from casual to dressy. tip: Lead with it, don’t follow. Alicante, Spain, the center of the On that note, here’s a few more heads country’s shoemaking industry, is now a up on key moments in your life ahead. regular destination. It’s where Wonders, a Spoiler alert: it’s a wonderful life. major brand in Europe, is manufactured The Salad Days: You just made a under the tagline, “Made with Love in life-altering decision to leave UCLA film Spain.” It’s a dig at Spanish companies school. It’s not for you, although one of that design at home but produce in your classmates goes on to become a Asia. Casitas is all about beautiful shoes famous director and producer. (Look designed and produced in Spain. Like in out for ET soon.) You move to Santa Girona, where Toni Pons makes amazBarbara, where you meet a crazy hippie ing espadrilles. And in Arnedo, a little guy selling handmade sandals at a beach town in the Rioja region, where Onfoot show. He wants to go commercial, so on is crafted. Casitas’ portfolio is a labor a whim you become his sales rep, lugging What a terrific pair: Joe Picket and his “partner in of love, where you work directly with the multi-colored flip flops to surf shops, everything,” Anne-Marie Longpre. the owners, designers, expert factory leather boutiques and bohemian outlets hands—all amazing shoepeople—to build collections each season. A along the California coast. Turns out you’re really good at sales. You’re bonus: the food in Spain is as fabulous as its shoes. also now hooked on the shoe biz. A Wonderful Life: While you may not have sold billions of shoes The Euro Era: Your boss sends you to a shoe show in Dallas. You in your career—like those Santa Barbara hippies your first company enter sporting flip flops and jeans, standing out amid a sea of cowboy played softball against went on to do—you and Anne-Marie have met boots and business suits. You’re a Southern California kid out of water. amazing people and enjoyed incredible experiences. And you’ve sure Fortunately, you meet a few other fish-out-of-water types swimming grown professionally from those early days at that Dallas show. Casitas’ among the aisles—like a Swedish guy selling wooden clogs. You strike sales and distribution are extensive. The next challenge: launching an up a quick friendship and soon you’re repping Sven’s Clogs. It’s when Onfoot men’s line. The beat goes on. you learn one brand leads to another brand opportunity. On the note, success in this business is all about relationships. Great Selling wooden clogs leads to Romika, a German company making shoes are a must, but getting those shoes in front of the right buyers lightweight, flexible clogs. They’re really house shoes, but you pull it requires great relationships. Those relationships are what support off. It’s the first Euro comfort line for many of your customers. You sell your family, which is everything to you. You live in the desert now, them in Euro sizing, which is groundbreaking at the time. Your Romika near Tucson. Surprising for the ultimate beach guy, I know. But you’ve run lasts 15 years until the competition catches up and a new owner has always been good at adapting. other ideas. But the door has opened to sell other German brands. You To that end, here are two parting tips: Travel less and spend more time travel to Germany frequently during this period, attending the GDS show with your kids. They grow up fast. As I write this, you’re planning another regularly. Around this time, one of your reps also sells Santana. That’s weekend with your granddaughters. They grow up fast, too! One more when you meet Anne-Marie. She works in Santana’s customer service thing: Listen to your father more. He’s a great guy. His grandkids called and is helping out at a New York show. You love the sound of her voice him Cappa. He’ll live to be 102 and was right about a lot of things. drifting over from the adjacent showroom. It progresses to a friendship
28 footwearplusmagazine.com • february 2022
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