Family business good for the sole

WASILLA - Fans of well-made footwear no longer need to drive to Anchorage to pamper their toes in their favorite kicks.

Just in time for Christmas, the Long family opened the Mat-Su Valley's newest independent shoe store Dec. 22 in the Creekside Plaza, 1830 E. Parks Highway.

After years working in and managing Anchorage shoe stores, patriarch Dave Long said the family decided to parlay its years of retail and shoe store experience into a new shopping opportunity for Valley shoe shoppers.

In stock at Northern Comfort Shoes and Apparel now are brands like Dansko, Børn, Doc Martin, Bogs and Merrell. Coming soon are shoes and boots by Sorrell, Solomon and Columbia.

Dave and Tammye Long said their children have years of experience working in Anchorage shoe stores. After kicking the idea around for a few years, they took classes through the Alaska Small Business Development Center in Wasilla and opened the new shoe store last month.

"It's a good resource for people wanting to start a business," Dave said. "And a lot of their classes are free."

Siblings Elise and Christian Long also played a big role in picking the product, their parents said.

Elise said she picked out shoes with an eye to Alaska's environment and the Valley's laid-back fashion sense.

"And from the reactions we are getting, I think you've made good choices," Tammye said.

Christian said the goal is to offer quality shoes that will perform well in Alaska's unforgiving environment. He said Alaska's weather is hard on shoes, too, and cheap department store shoes often break or fall apart in a few months.

Mom Tammye said consumers are beginning to see the benefits of investing in well-made footwear.

"I think people are starting to realize that it is actually cheaper to buy one pair of well-made shoes rather than replacing them every few months," she said.

Dad Dave said he's worn Dansko's for years and has purchased so many pairs for his family over the years that it just made sense to open a store.

Elise said the store is a good fit all around. "Our whole family is shoe people," she said.

For now, both parents also work other jobs, too. Tammye is a manager at Target and Dave operates a vessel based in Dutch Harbor.

"It was a good decision," Dave said. "We want to be here for a while."

Tammye said it's been great working together as a family. She said they taught their kids school at home until they were high school aged and this business has provided an opportunity for the family to spend lots of time together.

"It's a wonderful opportunity to be able to work with our kids," she said.

In addition to shoes, the store also offers Smartwool apparel and a good selection of "crazy" tights, Tammye said.

In the future, Christian said the store plans to offer ski and snowboard gear, too.

"We want to grow with the community," Dave said. "Anything we can think of to help the community - I'm all for it."

Although the store has only been open 10 days, he said they welcome from the community has been warm and enthusiastic.

"We already seeing ladies coming in off the farm to get their Danskos," Dave said.

For more information about Northern Comfort Shoes and Apparel, contact 376-5403 or northerncomfortwear@gmail.com.

For more information about Alaska Small Business Development, contact Julie Nolen at Alaska Small Business Development Center aksbdc.org or 373-7232.

Contact Heather A. Resz at heather.resz@frontiersman.com or 352-2268.