FashionBride Interview with Fred Hord from MyGlassSlipper.com

We’ve focused so much on getting the right answers about the perfect gown that we almost missed the shoes :)! Not to worry, we’ve asked Fred Hord, the owner of  MyGlassSlipper.com, a couple of questions and now we know a bit more about bridal shoes. Not to mention we’ve decided that shopping online for bridal shoes will spare us time and effort that we can redirect to better wedding causes! Read, enjoy and don’t forget to check MyGlassSlipper.com.

1. When did you start to find this domain interesting?

After college I ran my Mother’s wedding gown salon. I invested some time in improving the shoe department and it really took off. Within a couple of years I had created MyGlassSlipper.com and had the entire inventory on-line.

Eventually, the shoe department and website were taking all my time so my wife and I purchased the department from my Mother and formed a separate business that only sold wedding shoes.

2. Take us through the first years of your work. Maybe you could tell us what did change in time?

The first year was shaky to say the least. We assumed control of the business six weeks before 9/11. After that, the bottom fell out and nobody bought anything for months. It was January before things picked up and many, many more months before we were out of the red. One year later we moved into a new location.

Another year later we opened a New York location. The next year we purchased our competitor, BridalShoes.com. The next year we opened a store in NJ. And finally in 2007, our fifth year, we purchased PromShoes.com.

Each of the first five years we saw 20%-30% growth. Also in 2007 we closed our Virginia store and distribution center and moved to Missouri where quality staff was more readily available and real estate was more affordable. The last few years have proved more challenging but we have become a better company because of it.

3. Why should a bride-to-be choose your products?

As any bride-to-be will find, there aren’t that many different bridal shoes out there. Most sites carry much of the same products. In addition to those styles, MyGlassSlipper.com works with designers to create exclusive styles that aren’t otherwise available.

We also keep good sellers in production for as long as brides continue to buy them. We offer custom shoe dyeing as well. Our staff is familiar with the bridal industry where as the phone reps at the giant shoe websites cannot help with or answer bridal related questions.