If you’ve visited our website before, and if you visit it again now, you’ll probably notice one big, very big, change. Our prices have dropped. Big time. And we felt the need to write a little note and tell you why.

It’s not a sale (quite the opposite actually), and the prices aren’t going to go back up.  Here’s the deal:

We created samples for our Spring/Summer 2014 shoes- all kinds of wedges, pumps, sandals, flats- and we loved them.  So did the stores that we visited. They wanted to carry our line and sell our shoes, but once the retail markups, shipping, commissions, etc. etc. etc. were factored in, the prices were going to be through the roof. And something about that just didn’t sit right with us.

So we did some serious “sole” searching (pun intended). This company, as so many of you know, came from something so simple. My mom, Julie Lopez, wanted a pair of beautiful heels to wear to my sister’s wedding that wouldn’t hurt her troubled, bunion-ed (pretty sure that’s not a word) feet.  She never found those heels, and shortly after the wedding, started her own line. We went to Italy to have our heels made, because when you’re trying to make a shoe that doesn’t hurt women’s feet, every stitch matters, and we knew we could count on our Italian artisans, who had been in the shoe industry for hundreds of years, to deliver the product we wanted.

The goal, from day one and still to this day, was to give women, especially those with troubled feet, a shoe that wasn’t previously available- fashionable without the pain.

The response to our first batch of heels has been tremendous, and to all the women who have already purchased a pair (or several), we can’t tell you enough how much we appreciate your support, and how much we love hearing you tell us that you love our heels.

So with all of this buzzing around in our heads, discussions began as to what was going to be our next move.

Do we need to stay in Italy? Yes, we decided, and for those of you who have held a pair of our shoes in your hands and felt the quality, you know why Made in Italy makes all the difference.

Do we need to be sold in stores?

. . .

We all paused.  What would the new prices be if we didn’t have any retail markups? We ran some numbers, and the new prices started appearing, all under $300 and many less than $250.

The idea had been planted. What would happen if we took this brand online only? Same Italian quality, same FŸIŸT (Flex Innovation Technology), no retail markup.

Over the next few weeks we discussed every possible angle again and again and again, and talked with anyone who would listen to try and get their opinion. We ran market research surveys, ran numbers, spoke with industry experts, weighing every detail trying to decide if this big move was right.

When all was said and done, we made the decision to say thanks but no thanks to the stores. Deep down, we believe in these shoes, and we want to make them as affordable as possible to give as many women as possible the opportunity to own a pair.

So that’s why the prices are now significantly lower. And that’s why they’ll stay lower, because the only place you’ll find them is on our website.

And for those of you wondering about all those Spring/Summer 2014 styles, there’s more good news- they’re still coming next year. Even better, we have a few new styles, including a flat (!) that’s going to be available before the end of this year.

Reading back over it, this little note got a little longer than I had originally anticipated, but I am so excited about this new direction, and truly feel in my soul and soles that we’re on the right path.

As always, I love hearing from you, so please feel free to leave me any comments or questions.

Still beautiful heels. Still no pain. Still made in Italy. Now for a whole lot less.

All Our Best,

Erin (and the entire Julie Lopez team)