For Carla Shoes & Accessories Owner and Founder Charlie Slaton, the shoe business is familiar territory.
His history with Carla Shoes & Accessories, the long-standing store named for his daughter, goes back to October of 1996 – but his beginnings in the industry can be traced back 62 years, when he got his first job as a shoe salesman at the age of 18 in his hometown of Austin, Texas.
“I’ve always said that my background and history with the business has made it special,” said Slaton. “It’s always been personal for us.”
Backed with the help of “Charlie’s Angels” – employees Amy Vanwart, Amy Rubinstein and Kathy Monroe – as he approaches the 20th anniversary of his store’s opening, Slaton is packing for a brand new storefront in Ponte Vedra’s Sawgrass Village that he and junior partner Joanne Long hope to have open in time for TPC week.
“We’re excited about the new location because it’s all the buzz right now,” Long said. “There’s a lot of compatible businesses in Sawgrass Village and people are excited about the area. We think it’ll offer a new level of visibility for the store.”
Following the dry run opening of the new location, they intend to host a grand opening in late May or early June as well as a “Day of Beauty” May 21 featuring a trunk show, makeup artists and an appearance by Denise Sebbag, a designer for Simon Sebbag jewelry.
With the new storefront, Slaton and Long say customers can anticipate a growing stock including everything from comfort lines and high-fashion shoes, accessories and cosmetics. Kate Spade, General Soles, Toni Pons and Stuart Weitzman are among the designers, and specialized cosmetic lines Blinc Makeup and Kaplan MD can also be found there. They added that the service clients have come to expect from Carla Shoes & Accessories will stay the same.
“Brands change – there’s some coming and some going – but we’ll always search out things that fit our area and our needs,” said Slaton. “From the time the store opened, we wanted a family-owned business for the people of the area. Our goal has always been to service the people here and bring them what they want.”
