Chic Feet Opens Soon in Manchester

Sarah Bohn wanted to start a business she could pass on to her daughters. Bohn loves crunching numbers, so she took a practical approach to finding her new business, looking for something she could enjoy and expand throughout the years, but something that would still be financially viable in an uncertain economy. She decided to go with shoes, and Chic Feet was born.

Bohn is a single mom with three daughters who are 4, 8 and 14. She already has one business, a private day care in Kirkwood. She said she had been saving up money to either use for down payment on a bigger home or to start up a business. Stuck on the fence on how to best spend her money, she turned to her faith and prayed for an answer.

“I put an offer on a house, and they did not accept it," she said. "I was upset for a day or two. Then, I decided that was my answer.”

Bohn said it was time to stop playing games and launch her new business. She used the money to start Chic Feet without the need for a loan, noting that business loans were hard to come by anyway.

She has tackled the store’s renovations on her own with help from friends, doing everything from painting and trim work herself.

“Plus, when you work hard you get to play hard,” she joked.

Chic Feet is located in Lafayette Plaza, near Dierbergs and PetCo. She chose the location for several reasons—it’s not too far from her Kirkwood home, and it has excellent foot traffic.

She said that neighboring businesses, like a drop-off day care and a dance studio, already attract young moms who would be interested in her shoes. She said she also picked Manchester because Kirkwood and Webster Groves would have too much competition, and she’s not quite ready to tackle Chesterfield just yet. She also noted that a storefront in an older strip mall was more affordable than going into nearby Manchester Highlands.

She hopes to expand Chic Feet to seven stores in five to seven years. By then, her oldest daughter would be ready to take a more active role in the family business.

“In seven years, she’ll be able to run one, Bohn said. "I don’t want to hand it over, she’ll still have to earn it and learn the business.” 

Her daughters have been helping choose paint colors and artwork for the store as well as shopping for merchandise to stock. She said she allowed her teenager to advise her on what shoes would be cool for younger shoppers.

Though Chic Feet is aimed at the 20 to 30-year-old woman, she knows that teenagers will be attracted to her trendy shoes. She said what a 20-something might find attractive to wear to work might complement a teenager’s prom dress. She also noted that women over 30 will find her shoes fun to wear—after all, who can’t wear sandals?

Chic Feet will be a boutique-style shop with all the merchandise out for customers to see. There will be no stock room, so once a shoe is sold out, it’s gone. She said this will entice shoppers to buy shoes they like when they see them as well as encourage return visits to see her latest finds.

Bohn plans on having a soft opening for Chic Feet and will quietly open the store for business later this month.

On the Horizon:

• State Of St. Louis Workforce: Moving Forward is a breakfast seminar at the Missouri Botanical Garden at 7:30 a.m. Aug. 10. Free admission, RSVP required.
• Groupon Now has just been released for the St. Louis market. Unlike regular Groupon deals, Groupon Now deals have a limited time frame to drive customers to your business during the days or hours you need them. Now coupons can be printed or used with a mobile app and are refunded if not used.
• The St. Louis region’s unemployment rate is 8.9 percent, with St. Charles County having the lowest rate at 7.6 percent and St. Louis city having the highest at 11.3 percent, according to the latest figures from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center.