2016 has been quite a year! We at Englin's Fine Footwear want to take a moment to reflect on the big events of this past year before we look ahead to what 2017 has in store. 2016 marked 62 years of serving you, and we couldn't be more excited to find new ways to connect with our shoe-loving customers in the future.
Spring 2016 New Releases
Left to Right: Birkenstock Arizona in Shiny Snake Rose Birko-Flor, UGG Janie in Rust, Merrell Siren Edge in Blue
All our brands truly shone this spring. Some introduced new styles, while others updated their tried-and-true classics. Birkenstock released a variety of new colorways for the classic and cool Birkenstock Arizona, including Metallic Tourmaline Leather, Shiny Snake Rose Birko-Flor, and more. Sandals from UGG, men's and women's dress shoes from Clarks, sneakers from Merrell, thong sandals from OluKai, and many more turned spring 2016 into a shoe lover's paradise. A sampling of Spring 2016's new shoe releases can be found on our blog!
Julian Center Event with Naot
On May 21, we partnered with Naot to host a "Naot Gives Back" event. If you don't know about the Julian Center, they are a nonprofit organization in Indianapolis that has been offering support to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and similar traumas since 1975. The Julian Center has been nationally recognized for their innovative efforts toward breaking the cycle of abuse and helping survivors to heal. Nearly 6,000 people, mostly women and children, are supported and protected by the Julian Center every year.
At our event, Naot generously donated a pair of shoes to the Julian Center for every pair that was tried on, and two pairs for every one that was bought. Thanks to Naot, women seeking help from the Julian Center were provided with serviceable, comfortable, and stylish shoes. We all know that a new pair of shoes can make your day better and boost your confidence, and in this small way, we hope we've helped these brave women to step into a brighter future.
The UGG New Classics Launch
In the world of shoes, one of 2016's most exciting moments was the release of the UGG New Classics line. As we explained in our blog, "What's the Difference Between the UGG Classic and the New UGG Classic II?", the UGG New Classics have a few advantages over the old UGG Classics.
First, the New UGG Classics are pretreated to repel water and resist staining, reducing the risk of damaging your cute UGG boots during everyday wear. Now a drizzly day or a drip from your latte isn't the end of the world, and you can flaunt your UGG boots more often than before!
The UGG New Classics also feature UGG's exclusive Treadlite sole. As the name suggests, the Treadlite sole is lightweight and flexible, yet it's also durable and provides excellent traction on slick surfaces. Plus, the UGG Treadlite sole provides rebound and cushioning to keep you comfortable with every step. Check out our blog post for more about Treadlite by UGG.
The best thing about this relaunch is that the UGG New Classics line incorporates these highly anticipated new features without sacrificing any of their beloved style. The new-and-improved versions of old UGG favorites include the UGG Classic Short II, UGG Classic Tall II, UGG Bailey Bow II, UGG Bailey Button II, and many more. Now the UGG boots you've always adored are more practical and versatile than ever.
Englin's Shoe Rack Grand Opening
Englin's Fine Footwear enjoyed a lot of successes this past year, but perhaps the most notable was the opening of our new discount shoe store, Englin's Shoe Rack! This store, located in Hamilton Town Center, is a hybrid venture that combines legendary Englin's customer service and huge selection with a "clearance rack" style experience, so you can find the very best deals on your favorite shoe brands. Englin's Shoe Rack provides our loyal customers with the prices they want on the shoes they love.
Our Indiana customers are crazy about Englin's Shoe Rack! If you're ever in the Noblesville area, stop in and browse our huge selection of clearance UGG, Dansko, Birkenstock, New Balance, and more. We'd love to see you!
Fall 2016 Trends
Fall brought with it beautiful leaves, pleasant weather, and a host of fun fashion trends. Whether you follow fashion or not, you have to admit, these are some cute shoes!
Left to Right: Naot Present in Vintage Smoke, Naot Levanto in Vintage Grey, Naot Boreas in Walnut/Mine/Saddle Brown
Naot is one of our most popular brands, and their fall collection was everything we dreamed it would be. With the gorgeous Naot Present and Naot Helm shooties, the chukka-inspired Naot Levanto, and the elegant fashion piece known as the Naot Boreas, Naot proved that Fall 2016 was all about the ankle boot. Of course, as always, these trendy Naot boots feature the anatomically contoured cork footbed that makes all Naot shoes so comfortable and supportive. Read more about the Naot Fall 2016 Line.
Across all brands, metallic shoes were a big hit this fall. Shiny gold and silver uppers made for eye-catching, runway-ready footwear. This trend brought extra attention to long-time fan favorites like the Trotters Liz and the Naot Kirei, which are available in gorgeous metallic hues and offer timeless allure for season-to-season wear. Need this trend in your life? Check out our metallic shoes blog post.
Top Left: Trotters Liz in Pewter; Top Right: Naot Kirei in Sterling Shimmer
Bottom Left: UGG Janney in Stout; Bottom Right: Munro Dallas in Black
Another trend we swooned over this fall was buckles. Whether as a functional method of adjustment or a purely fashionable accent, buckles were all over the Fall Fashion Week runways. We provided a roundup of our favorite buckled shoes for fall, including the UGG Janney and Munro Dallas boots.
Holiday Season 2016
The holidays are always a fun and busy time of year in retail, and 2016 saw us busier than ever before! We helped so many of you put shoes under the tree, and we're grateful for the chance to be a part of your family's Christmas joy. From the wild and crazy fun of Black Friday to last-minute purchases during the week before Christmas, we had a great time serving you and hopefully helping to make the holidays brighter for you and your loved ones.
You can learn more about Christmas at the Englin's internet office (and get to know us a little better) in this blog post about some of our holiday favorites from last week. If you love sugar cream pie (an Indiana tradition!), if you think anyone who doesn't recognize Die Hard as a Christmas movie is just plain wrong, or if it doesn't feel like the holidays until Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" is playing on every station, then hey-- you have something in common with someone at Englin's!
Looking Forward to 2017
Like every year, we hope to make 2017 all about our wonderful customers. From the beginning, people like you have returned to Englin's Fine Footwear over and over again because of our dedication to service. We strive to go above and beyond so that every customer feels like a part of the Englin's family. None of our successes would be possible without your loyalty, so we want to offer a huge THANK YOU! We're so grateful that you've chosen to support small, family-owned businesses like ours. From all of us, we hope you have a happy, safe, and prosperous New Year!