Share your Shoe Dog Stories Here
This Shoe Dog Forum is a place to share stories you have experienced in the Footwear Industry. If you have stories you have experienced with me in the footwear industry, Nordstrom or Zappos, please share here too! You never know, it might make the blog.
Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that the footwear industry would be my calling. I had dreams of being a teacher, social worker and even a computer whiz. In a weird way those dreams have come true. Story telling is an art form and being in the footwear industry we all have those stories.
You can also Email me directly at soleman@solemanstudios.com
There are so many stories to tell, which is why im writing the blog. I think for me though its always the ones that make a difference in someone elses life. I was in the Nordstrom Palo Alto store and this lady called me one day frantically looking for a shoe. Her wedding shoe heel broke and she needed a replacement. I looked to see if we had it, which we did. Only one problem, she was getting married the next day and she couldn’t come to the store. She lived in Fremont and so did I, so I hand carried the shoe to her home that day. She was so thankful and relieved. It made me happy too I could save the day
I am currently writing for a future blog about the Loma Prieta Earthquake of 1989. if you were in the Bay area I’d love to hear your story
Mike, I learned a lot from you. Mainly to let people do what they are best at and don’t judge when they make a mistake. We are all human and mistakes are a part of the game
Thank you! Its been great to see you become so successful in your career, really proud of you!
Martha’s Story from San Francisco Centre:
The city of San Francisco was hosting game three of the World Series at Candlestick Park on October 17, 1989. The Nordstrom Store in the San Francisco Center had been extremely busy due to all the visitors in town for the big sporting event. The Salon Shoe department was buzzing, the registers were ringing, sales associates were attending to multiple customers on the sales floor, and sales goals were being achieved. At 5:04 p.m. all the sounds came to an abrupt halt. The earth beneath us began to shake with such vigor that the building began to role from left to right, up and down and we were moving along with it. We had never felt anything like this. I had experienced several earthquakes but this one was different. We quickly gathered the customers and we huddled all together under the door frame to the stockroom. People were hanging onto the frame and their bodies were swaying back and forth. The earth didn’t stop, it kept moving for it seemed like a very long time. It actually lasted fifteen seconds but it was the longest fifteen seconds that one can experience. When the building stopped shaking, we immediately checked to make sure everyone was ok. Thank goodness no one was injured. Nordstrom store management asked everyone to stay in the building for their safety. The electricity was cut off, so we could not see the damage to the store and we were unable to communicate with anyone outside the store. In 1989, people did not have cell phones or internet access. We did not know that a section of the Bay Bridge collapsed and the soft soil of San Francisco’s Marina District gave way, homes were on fire and many buildings had collapsed.
The employees comforted the customers and each other. We cleaned up the sales floor, but could not see what had occurred in the stockroom since it was pitch black. Nordstrom management did their best to try to inform us what was happening outside the store. At approximately 9:00 pm, we were given the green light to exit the store with caution. Without electricity and with only a flashlight that was provided by the store, the streets of San Francisco were dark. Many employees utilized public transportation to get to and from work, so we worked together to get everyone home safely. The employees who drove into work that day were generous to drive others home.
I returned to work the next day to help clean up the store. As one would imagine, after a 6.9 earthquake, the stockroom was in a disarray. Shoes were scattered all over the floor and at one section of the stockroom, the rack had been pulled out from the wall and the sheet rock had separated from the building. The majority of the employees came together to help get the store ready to reopen. The store was closed for a couple of days to ensure everyone’s safety and to make repairs.
This was an experience that will never be forgotten. Unfortunately, 64 lives were taken that day and many were injured. We were very grateful that we were safely guarded inside the walls of the Nordstrom San Francisco Center.
One of my favorite stories is from the Valley Fair Nordstrom days. It was a quiet day and this lady comes in and is very sad. “Excuse me are you the manager?”. I told her I was and asked how could I be of service to her. She went on to tell me her mother just passed away and they were going through her things and noticed she had some Nordstrom boxes with the price tags still on them and inside were unworn shoes. Wait for it…Can I return these? I told her as long as they were unworn we’d take them back. Now keep in mind this ladies voice is very sad and demure. When I said she could return them, she whips out a walkie talkie and in a deep forceful tone “Bring em in Herb, he said it was ok”. A guy with a hand truck comes into the store with four 18 pair cases stacked up. My mouth must have dropped. I called the store manager to see what prices we should give her as all these shoes were 5-10 years old. If there’s a shank give her those prices. Well sadly they were all never worn and we had a rough day because of the big return. It made her happy I guess…