Photo on bottom right: Elda Valdez (Shipping Manager), Ellen Renger (President), Leslie Wandell (Sales)
Editor’s Note: Again this year the NCA is hosting the Help Halloween Happen campaign, which will help members bring more customers in the door. The campaign is sponsored by vendor members, including Ellie Shoes. In this interview, Leslie Wandell, director of sales for Ellie Shoes, tells us about her expectations for the season.
So how do you think Halloween will be this year?
Our hopes are that after a year of uncertainty, it will be safe enough for people to get out and celebrate in person! It’s great to see that stores are starting to get very busy and crowded again – and we’re very busy – but we also know that we still need to be careful. We’re being cautiously optimistic! We really do hope all of our customers have an amazing season!!
Is Halloween a big time for Ellie Shoes?
Yes! Halloween is about 50 percent of our business. We’ve gone through the cycles of stores carrying a lot of shoes and then scaling back, but now we’re seeing a lot of renewed excitement for costume footwear. I think it’s a direct effect of consumer demand – the stores are having customers come in who want a full outfit, including the shoes!
We’ve heard a lot about shipping problems this year. Are you getting your shipments in and out?
Yes, shipping from China has been very challenging. The containers are limited and costs keep rising, so we’re facing some delays and had to raise some prices. But so far we’ve been able to bring in most of our goods. Fortunately, most of our customers ordered early enough that we’ll be able to fill their orders. And we’re trying to reach out to anyone that may have not ordered yet to make sure they get what they need. The truth is, every year has a challenge. Last year it was COVID, this year it’s the container issue.
Which products are the most popular this year?
We’re selling a lot of witch shoes, gladiator sandals, of course the go go boots, and the basics like saddle shoes. And then we’re also seeing good sales of historical footwear, such as colonial and Victorian. Even though there weren’t a lot of events in the past year – such as Renaissance fairs and comic cons -- people were still dressing up. No matter what, we learned people want to put on costumes even if they can’t be together!