The smell of tanned, dyed leather creeps into the nostrils as you walk by Romp shoe store in Los Olivos.
It’s tucked away behind the olive tree center of a stone-lined courtyard. The shop is a mini version of its mother store on Higuera Street in San Luis Obispo. And though leather lines the shelves from ceiling to floor, the differences between the two are starting to take shape. A cowhide covers part of the floor on which stand leather benches, and above the big mirror facing the windows hangs a pair of Texas longhorns from Arizona.
Romp owner Karen English said when she started her project, she wanted to make sure it was unique, but try to stick with the San Luis vibe.
“I handpicked what I thought was a great collection for Los Olivos,” English said. “But women here want heels. You can hardly sell a heel in San Luis.”
English has a lot of boots in her collection of shoes, purses, and jewelry displayed in the shop. They’re beautiful, too. Shades of red, brown, and beige give form to knee-length leather on top of boot heels with a little bit of flair.
Boots are big in San Luis. While she’s already sold some pairs of the $300 to $600 brands she carries since her Los Olivos opening on Sept. 28, English is already shopping around for some new styles. Those styles will come from Italian, Spanish, and Californian designers.
English’s personal favorites are Italian-made shoes. She travels to Italy twice a year to pick out the perfect shoes to bring back to sell on the Central Coast.
“Italians, they really take pride in their workmanship and they still treat making shoes as an art in Italy,” she said. “They make the best.”
When English first plopped a Romp down in San Luis eight years ago, she was able to do it because she had a friend who was beginning to import specialty shoe brands from Italy. It was an opportunity that doesn’t pop up more than once in a lifetime, she said.
“Honestly, I could have waited a couple of more years, but the opportunity was too good. I had to jump at the chance to import exclusive lines from Italy,” she said.
Just like that, Romp was born. And it kind of happened like that in Los Olivos as well. English and her husband were driving back from Montecito and decided to stop in Los Olivos before heading home to Arroyo Grande.
She heard one of her favorite Santa Barbara County clothing stores, Wendy Foster, had just opened a branch in Los Olivos and she wanted to check it out. Wendy Foster opened its new shop in June in that same picturesque stone-lined courtyard, and there was an empty space next door.
“Within 10 minutes I had bought two shirts and dialed the landlord’s number,” English said. “I just thought it was a wonderful opportunity.”
About a month and a half later, she opened her Los Olivos doors and sold her first pair of shoes. She said she was thinking about opening a second location, but just wasn’t sure where. With Wendy Foster next door, it just seemed like a good idea. Plus, from what she hears, Los Olivos is in need of non-liquid retail.
The small town is full of wine tasting rooms, and retail is starting to make a comeback, according to some of the customers English has spoken with.
“Women and wine and shoes, what a great combination,” she said.
Romp’s Los Olivos location is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The store is located at 2928 San Marcos Ave.
Staff Writer Camillia Lanham wrote this week’s Biz Spotlight. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, e-mail, or mail.
This article appears in Oct 10-17, 2013.