Lady who knows where the shoe pinches

Wide Shoe Ltd started with Esther Wanjoga’s inability to find appropriate shoes for her wide feet.

Wide Shoe started in 2009 as a one-shoe store in Hurlingham, Nairobi. Today the company has four other operational stores at Junction Mall in Lavington, Garden City Mall off Thika Road, The Hub in Karen, and Nyali Centre in Mombasa.

The firm is also set to open a branch at Two Rivers Mall in Runda this year. Wide Shoe is the go-to store for consumers (mostly women) with wide, extra wide and big fitting shoes.

Before stumbling on the wide shoe phenomenon, Esther’s last job was at Cluster Marketing for Kenya Shell/Vivo Energy for East Africa. We met at Cedars Restaurant to talk about where the shoe pinches.

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How tall are you?

I’m 5’9”. In heels, I look a lot taller than I actually am.

And your shoe size is...?

44 European. That translates to a 9 UK and 12 US.

That’s a big shoe size for sure.

Well... A lot depends on how it has been designed especially the front part. If it’s a double sole, it ends up looking a little bit smaller than how it sounds. If it is also very sharp on the front part, it looks longer, so it looks bigger. And if it’s a rounded front then definitely it’s the only thing that is big.

Were you a child with big or wide feet?

Yes. Growing up, I couldn’t get shoes that fit me. In Class 8, I had a bigger foot size than all my peers, and so I would have to use my mom’s shoes. I remember one day when I really needed a black pair of school shoes and I went to one of the prominent shoe stores in the country but I couldn’t get it. They kept forcing me saying: “This is a size 8, it will fit,” and I would just tell them “okay I will just try it.” I ended up picking a pair of shoes that did not fit me. But I was desperate so I took it. That’s when I realised that I had a more peculiar shoe-fitting size than my colleagues. My feet were big and wide.

So I started looking for shoes from second-hand dealers because they bring them from out of the country. It’s only when I travelled out of the county to the US, and went to a store that carried sizes that were even bigger than mine - up to size 16, (I was size 11 then), that I was able to fit a comfortable fit. You can imagine how happy I was and how many pairs I picked. And right there a business idea was born.

Were you bullied because of your wide feet while growing up, did they call you Big Foot or something like that?

Noooo! You know, incidentally because I don’t have a big body — I’m a size 12 — I kept asking my parents how I couldn’t fit in my mom’s shoes until they told me that my grandfather had big feet too.

Growing up, did your shoe size ever affect your self-esteem? Was it an issue for you?

It was an issue when we had functions. Because I would dress up in a nice dress but my shoe would be worn out or a second hand shoe. For example, for my wedding, I didn’t get a new pair of shoes and so I had to get a gown that went all the way down to cover the shoes I was wearing.

So, what did you wear?

I shopped for a shoe like six months earlier, but ended up getting a white shoe... a moccasin. It wasn’t elegant at all but I had to make do with what was available in the market then...I still have that pair as a souvenir.

Would you say you’re probably the only woman in this town who has worn a pair of moccasins to her wedding?

(Hearty laughter) I’ve seen some brides with slip-ons, so... and there are others who come to the shop for wedding shoes and get wedges. But I know now that if you have a quality shoe that fits, it boosts your confidence.

What has surprised you about the business of selling wide shoes?

We opened a shop in Mombasa because there was an incredible demand for them down there, more than any other town. Now, looking back, I realise, Western Kenya should have been the one with the most demand...(Laughs).

Yeah, I actually thought you know, Luos and Luhyas would have much bigger feet.

I know. A lot of the first interest came from the coast. But now most of our customers are from the Western region. We don’t have a lot of stores in Kisumu or Eldoret, so we still courier that side.

When you meet people do you instinctively look down at their feet?

Initially I used to do that a lot (laughs), that’s how I got my initial clientele. I would stand at the bus stop, or at the bank and I would walk up to them and say ‘excuse me, my name is Esther, I sell shoes, big sizes’ and the reactions would be good, and they would say, “Yes, I am a big size,” and I would give them a card and they would come to the store.

Now I don’t do that any more because I realised that most people with wide feet already know about the store.

Do you miss your former corporate job?

Not at all... I believe that the problem that we are solving now... boosting the confidence of ladies with big feet, and availing to them comfortable, stylish shoes, and making them aware that they don’t necessarily have to get used shoes for them to feel smart.

Who’s your biggest competition?

The second-hand shoe seller, because where we source our shoes from, is the same market that supplies second hand shoes.

How many shoes do you own now that you have your own wide shoe store?

I haven’t counted just yet. You will be surprised that I don’t have that many because I never developed a craving for shoes...because my size was not there.

Would you say that women with wide feet are treated like a special group of people?

No, they are not.

When you were dating would you say ‘I’m not going to date a man with smaller feet than mine?’

(Laughs) That’s a good one, but I’ve never even thought about it.

I’m sure you’ve thought about it.

Why… unless you have another interpretation of it. But you know, you would hardly find a tall guy with small feet. I think it’s a rarity. There is a lot of proportionality.

So you basically went for the tall guys because there is no way they would have small feet.

Yes, it was a given. And luckily, I ended up with a guy who’s taller than me. Not that I would have turned down someone nice who was shorter, it’s just that it turned out well. (Laughs). What’s important is the heart.

Kids?

Yeah, I have two wonderful babies. The boy is called Jesse, and the girl Jessica. We call them the J’s. The boy will turn 9 in April, and the girl turned 7 in January.

Do they have wide feet?

My daughter, yes! I should send you a photo. She’s taken after me. She’s got the genes. Her foot is growing faster than her age.

How’s her brother’s self-esteem?

(Laughs) They haven’t reached that age yet, which is good, because there will be market for them. They don’t ever have to feel intimidated or to feel that ‘I have a nice, wonderful outfit but I don’t have the shoe for it.’

What do you do for fun?

(Chuckles) I like spending time in the house. I really am a home person, so is my spouse. So the two of us really end up spending most of our time at home with the kids and catching up with friends. We also like travelling. And we also like our fellowship.

Fellowship. You’re born again?

Yes, my husband is a pastor.

Where?

He just started a church last Sunday at Kigwa Conference centre on Kiambu Road.

You know when I hear people have started a church, it always feels like they’ve started a business. Do you get that feeling?

No. For us, we already have businesses, he’s a motivational speaker, he’s an author so this is a calling. And you need to fulfil the calling but, yes, there are people who have tainted it. But if you are genuine; and you feel God is taking you in this direction, why not?

What’s the greatest purpose you have found in the church?

Touching lives. Being able to minister and give hope…

If your church really grows, and you have like thousands of people, imagine the business potential.

(Loud laughter). You’ve been watching too many movies. I think the market is outside. It’s really outside the church.

Education?

Bachelor’s Degree and MBA, both from University of Nairobi.