Attention, moms who want comfortable footwear for babies.
A sister and brother from Easton, Mo., have started a company that sells handmade shoes for newborns to 2-year-olds. The enterprise, jemos footwear, offers soft-soled leather shoes, from a Velcro-strapped platform design to a tennis shoes for boys.
The owners - Tracy Ingle and brother Tonie Jones - have 21 different styles, all designed for the outdoors and made of leather remnants from premium U.S. furniture manufacturers. The shoes retail for $28.
"They're very good for growing feet (because) the remnant leather makes our shoes more flexible and a lot softer," Ms. Ingle said.
The concept for jemos footwear is a shoe that looks and feels like a baby shoe and that simulates barefoot walking.
The shoes don't have a heel or an arch. The sole is flat. And the shoes have a wider toe area for growing feet.
While shopping for her children, Ms. Ingle saw numerous adult shoes that she said had been simply retooled for children's small toes.
"I even saw pointed shoes for children. There are lots of very cute shoes out there that are frankly bad for kid's feet," Ms. Ingle said. The jemos footwear are made with a mind for the environment. They are handsewn in China from leftover furniture leather. The packaging is eco-friendly and uses low-ink in its printing.
Ms. Ingle, 38, who has a background in advertising and marketing, and Mr. Jones, 40, an importer/exporter, visited a shoe factory in China in May to see that it conforms to their labor and environmental standards. It did. They now expect their first full shipment.
Later this year, they're planning to open a shoe warehouse in the St. Joseph-area. They are currently looking for retailers through their Web site at jemos-footwear.com.
Ahmad Safi can be reached at ahmadsafi@npgco.com.
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David says...
You know, I was really impressed with this new business/article until I got to the sentence that said, "The jemos footwear are made with a mind for the environment. They are handsewn in China from leftover furniture leather." I feel that it is great that they are concerned about the environment, all of us should be. I wish I could wish the owners of this new foot ware company well but I can't. We have millions of unemployed United States citizens and your having your foot ware made in China (?). Do you feel there are no local folks capable of making your foot ware? Or is it that you just don't want the common (local) folks to make a livable wage? I have Great Grand Children that could use new foot ware, I wouldn't get them anything made by your company. You could have put United States citizens to work but chose not to. Fair Trade? Should you're business ever fail, just remember we now have a number of soup lines you can stand in. You might find some folks you've seen before while your there. They once came to you looking for work.
God Bless America, God Save The Republic.
August 6, 2009 at 10:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
HaroldJ says...
I've had experience in the garment manufacturing business for over 25 years and here is why this company is most likely having their footwear made elsewhere. Because you would be hard pressed to even find a clothing or shoe manufacturing facility anywhere in the United States! The clothing and shoe manufacturers that are still here, albeit few and far between unfortunately, are located "conveniently" in south Texas, New York City and east Los Angeles. Do you really think legal American workers are making these "Made in USA" clothes for you and me? I doubt it. Do you think there are no sweatshops in the United States? Think again. I'm not so familiar with the shoe industry as I am with the garment industry, so I cannot speak for this new company. However, the concept of using a high quality remnant leather to create new shoes sounds interesting to me. In the US, we throw so much away, wasteful and useless. What is the excuse for this? I see your passion in your comments, but let's be realistic here. Regarding your comment "do you feel there are no local folks capable of making your foot ware?" - I know I can't make a shoe, and I'm pretty sure you can't either. Do you know of any local shoe manufacturers in St. Joseph? We cannot assume that people are out of work because of this. We can only hope that any small business that is created shall succeed and eventually prosper. This is the only way to ensure job growth in our country isn't it? What if this new company grows over the next few years, and hires local staff to help them? Warehouse workers, payroll employees, administrative staff? Perhaps we should be celebrating small business in our community and not wishing any ill will upon any potential growth.
August 12, 2009 at 12:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )