If You Love Shoes, This Is The Place To Be!
One of the smallest words in the English language has made a giant impact on local footwear aficionados.
With its short yet memorable name, IF Footwear Boutique has been answering all of Guelph’s fashion-shoe needs for the past 14 years.
The family-run business, founded by John and Kathy Regts, with help from their sons Joel and Jesse, specializes in casual to evening footwear, and carries the creations of some of the worlds top shoe designers.
“We carry beautiful shoes, with a good mix of colours and styles,” Kathy explained.
“Our whole store is full all the time; so if you love shoes, this is the place to be.”
The Regts knew when they opened their store that they had to be different.
Their shelves had to be stocked with names shoppers regularly find in the windows of Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and New York City.
”We (John and Kathy) both had experience in the shoe business, so we knew what sells and what doesn’t,” Kathy said.
A few of their choices included upscale offerings from Kenneth Cole of New York, Italy’s Donald J. Pliner; and Canada’s own Aquatalia.
Rounding out the selection are designs from Hogel of Austria; Naot of Israel; Michael Kors; Steve Madden; Guess and BCBGirls.
“We have a good mix of these brands and more,” Kathy said.
“Our inventory is always changing.”
That’s perhaps the most interesting part of working in the footwear industry, Kathy said.
“I’m always wearing nice, new shoes every new season,” she said.
And customers can get in on the fun too. Drop into IF Footwear Boutique regularly and you’re guaranteed to find something you didn’t see before.
”We do things so far in advance that I already know some of the styles we’ll have next spring,” Kathy said.
“In fact, we just got our first shipment of fall boots last week. Here we are, barely into summer, and we’re already almost ready for fall.”
And, by the looks of the new arrivals, there will be a great selection of styles to choose from for the colder weather.
“There are going to be a lot of boots- both high boots and ankle boots, and patent boots. A classy look for sure.”
We’re cleaning out our summer stock, even though we’re still introducing new summer styles on a daily basis, but the summer shoes we’re bringing out now can be called transitional, going into the fall season.”
“We moved in March,” Kathy said,
reminding customers that IF Footwear Boutique is now located at 42 Wyndham Street North.
“We had actively been looking for the right spot for the last six years we knew our old store was too small,” Kathy said. “We weren’t able to help our customers as well as we wanted and as well as they’ve come to expect. That’s no longer an issue at all,” she said, “considering the store’s square footage has nearly doubled.”
“I feel like we’re in an arena now,” Kathy laughed.
“We knew the right location would be available at the right time- one that met simple criteria like locations, wheelchair and baby-stroller accessibility, and windows.
“It’s much easier for us to serve customers now, there’s room for more seating; and we have a lot of windows, which really brightens the place up. We’re all very excited.”
If Footwear Boutique also carries a wide selection of handbags to accentuate any outfit.
For more information on the store and its products, call 519-822-3880.
Our Locations:
Show Room
42 Wyndham Street North, Guelph, 519-822-3880
Mon, Tue, Wed, Sat: 10-6, Thurs: 10 to 8:30, Fri: 10 to 9, Sun: Closed
Clearance Outlet:
31 Quebec Street, Guelph, 519-822-8326.
Tues-Sat: 10 to 6, Closed Sunday and Monday
