Tracy Ingle has spent the last two years figuring out how to make strides in the footwear industry, specifically, the baby footwear market. Mother of four and former online baby store owner, Ingle has used her background in marketing and her spirit for entrepreneurism to set a pace she hopes her competitors will not keep up with.
So far, it’s looking good. Stepping into the market in October 2009, Jemos Footwear is a wholesale, eco-friendly shoe company offering unique, classic, fun shoes for babies and toddlers, while helping the environment at the same time. The shoes are handmade from fine, supple remnant leather leftover from furniture makers. Kansas City-based Ingle and her brother Tonie Jones started Jemos Footwear because they wanted to do something fun and make a difference.
“We’ve been recycling for years, but I always wondered what else we could do,” Ingle says. “We’re just trying to take a resource and reuse it for something useful...like cute shoes! We knew that the kid shoe market is huge, but we couldn’t find any that were eco-friendly.”
The company not only makes its shoes from reusable material, it also recycles or reuses everything from packaging and stuffing paper right down to the ink and cotton rope on the adorable boxes. Jemos currently offers 21 styles in sizes 0 to 24-plus months, which are sold in 11 stores spanning Missouri, Michigan and Tennessee as well as three online stores. New styles arrive each season, each from a sketch designed by Ingle herself.
“We’re not making these in massive quantities,” says Ingle. “We’ll make six or seven new styles each season and carry over only the most popular styles.”
Design inspiration comes from magazines and color-trend Web sites, and Ingle loves to hear ideas from consumers. In fact, she’s considering ideas for spring styles now, and customers can offer feedback and design ideas by E-mailing wholesale@jemos-footwear.com. With a background in marketing, Ingle spent her childhood traveling the world (her father worked for airline companies), and she gathered fond memories and unique shoes everywhere she went.
“I’ll never forget my gold lamé flip-flop shoes from Hong Kong,” Ingle recalls.
Memories such as these prove dreams really do start at a young age, and Ingle has elected not to give up on hers. She’s still pounding the pavement but keeps a bounce in every step and a smile on her face because she sees each day that her work is paying off and more little ones are wearing great shoes because of her.
“It’s wonderful seeing something come to life,” Ingle says. “This is like my fifth child!”
Jemos is a company started by two family members, and the family affair has continued. Ingle and her brother handle most tasks associated with running the company. Design, marketing, quality control, fulfillment and shipping are all handled by the two of them or a combination of other family members, which is appropriate considering the name itself is an acronym created from the first letter of each of Ingle and Jones’ children’s names. During the quality-control process, multiple family members get involved to carefully inspect each shoe for quality. If a shoe does not meet Jemos’ exceptional standards, the pair is donated to charity. To keep with its mission of giving back, the company has also donated more than 250 pairs to local charities such as Lighthouse and St. Elizabeth’s Closet. In addition to being well-made and eco-friendly, Jemos shoes are recommended by podiatrists and pediatricians because new walkers should wear a completely flat, soft-soled shoe. The shoes are endorsed by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and the American Podiatric Medical Association.
“We wanted to design an eco-conscious shoe that was comfortable, provided the proven health benefits for growing feet and was ultimately a little more affordable in the current boutique shoe market,” Ingle says.
Jemos Footwear has accomplished all of that while giving consumers a little extra. Each pair of Jemos comes with an adorable giraffe finger-puppet (pink for girls, tan for boys).
“It’s a little something ‘extra’ to make you smile,” she says.
Jemos shoes are also a bit more affordable than many of its competitors with a retail price from $28 to $30. The next step for Jemos? To sell Jemos shoes in more stores, of course! Its retail Web site is launching soon, and eventually Ingle wants to offer a children’s shoe with a recycled footbed. For Jemos, the finish line is anywhere but near, and fans of the store simply can’t wait to see what happens along the way.
For more information on Jemos Footwear, visit www.jemos-footwear.com.
words: Kelli White
photos: Abbe Findley