New QUALITY Shoe Store Sim-I-Lar

As some of you know, I really enjoy discovering small, new shops that offer quality items.  I came across one a few weeks ago, but have been so busy working on a wedding (which I will share with you later) that I haven't been able to take time to share "Sim-I-Lar" with you.  

I had the pleasure of meeting the owners, Larisa Tylman and Simone Bonham, and learning a bit about what makes them tick and to also compliment them on their work.

Simone and Larisa have been working on the idea of boots for about 8 months.  They wanted to create something different and affordable, as they both love boots, they were astounded by the prices of some of the better quality ones.  They didnt want to be known as just another make of boots, they wanted to be known for quality and totally unique designs. 

Simone is the designer she came up with the idea for Aspide, being an Italian, she has a thing about shoes and boots.  She is a graphic artist and a genius with numerous graphic softwares. Simone has been using photoshop for at least 15 years. 

Larisa does all the inworld parts, putting things together, the building and scripting.  She also runs the store and advertising side.

Their latest design, which has taken two months of work to get perfect, is a straight forward classic design with an Italian style heel.  Priced at L$750, they want to make their boots affordable to the majority. These boots also are a "2fer".  When you purchase a pair of boots you get them in gold AND in silver.  So you actually get 2 pairs.  Viper is also an easy fit, right out of the box for most people with a simple, easy to use menu for that perfect fit. 

Simone and Larisa, plans for the near future are a complete range of colors for Viper, which should be within the next week and a collection of accessories, such as matching belts and handbags.  Long term plans include a complete range of Ladies boots and Mens and Womens shoes.  All with a unique style and design not seen in SL before.  Currently Simone is  concentrating her efforts on several ankle boots and Larisa is working on a remote fitting system for customers to have their boots fitted by one of their instore staff.

They have recently installed a GIFT system, so you can gift your purchased boots to someone else.
At this point I have a pair of the Aspide in every color and a pair of the Viper in its one color.  Simone and Larisa have a 75% customer buy rate.  They also have a 92% customer return rate. These are HUGE numbers for any store.  I sent 2 people there to get their opinion.  The first one bought 1 of each color on the Aspide and the 2nd one bought the Viper.  We are talking model friends here, who know and will only be seen in quality product.

As you can tell I am "SOLD" on these two ladies. 

Til next time,


Jez