LIHU‘E — Wailua artist Derek Glaskin is familiar with Famous Footwear, and when he saw the pair of boots, said, “These shoes were made to talk.” Rather than just leaving them on the counter to flank the national campaign poster
LIHU‘E — Wailua artist Derek Glaskin is familiar with Famous Footwear, and when he saw the pair of boots, said, “These shoes were made to talk.”
Rather than just leaving them on the counter to flank the national campaign poster for the upcoming March of Dimes WalkAmerica event, Glaskin worked on them to “Put them more in tune for the walkabout.”
District manager for Famous Footwear, Jim Vivian, said that the Kaua‘i store leads the state in this promotional effort, with Glaskin’s artwork at the forefront.
“No other store has something like this,” he chuckled.
“But, it’s better than just having two plain shoes on the counter looking like it’s out of place,” store Manager Yaya Watson added.
Watson said the artsy footwear has attracted a lot of attention, with people wanting to deposit their donations in them. She said they can make donations, but those are rung up on a special key at the cash register, and the money is deposited along with the store receipts.
Additionally, Watson said there have even been people inquiring about purchasing the specially painted boots.
Glaskin looked over his handiwork and smiled, “People have offered from $100 to $400 for the pair.”
The artwork is a reflection of the Famous Footwear national campaign poster, with appropriate Hawaiian sayings, and Watson added that the national poster was commissioned from an artist in England.
Vivian noted that of the region, Hawai‘i is in the lead in terms of percentage over goal for March of Dimes collections.
And, Kaua‘i is the top store in Hawai‘i, he said.
Famous Footwear is one of the national sponsors for the March of Dimes WalkAmerica event that is scheduled for Saturday, April 2, starting at 8 a.m. at the main pavilion at Lydgate Park.
The walk will meander along the coastline to the Kamalani Kai Bridge, and return to the pavilion.
“Unfortunately, many of us will be working on that day,” Watson said. “Saturdays are one of our peak days. But, we’ll all be wearing special March of Dimes shirts that say, ‘We’re walking while we’re working.'”
Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@pulitzer.net.
