Breaking the Rules for Success

Breaking the Rules for Success:
Irreverence comes naturally to Gravity Pope

It seems that everywhere CFJ travels – be it to shows, industry events or shoe retailers across Canada, everyone has heard of Gravity Pope. Since its founding seventeen years ago in Edmonton, Gravity Pope – now has another two locations in Calgary and Vancouver – has established itself as one of the most innovative and successful independent shoe retailers in Canada. Recently, CFJ sat down with Gravity Pope’s founder and owner, Louise Dirks, at her Vancouver location (opened four years ago) to discuss how the Vancouver store was doing and to talk about their new online business at www.gravitypope.com.

An eclectic mix and a friendly vibe
Upon entering the store on West 4th avenue in the heart of Vancouver’s arts district, you are struck by the variety of brands and styles adorning the walls. Everything from high end, small independently designed and manufactured shoes from across Europe like MOMA, Paul Smith and Chie Mihara, to brands like Camper, Mag, Boss, Gravis and Keen – truly an eclectic mix.

I’ve never been one to follow rules and with Gravity Pope I wanted to be able to cater to a wide range of customers and offer quality footwear for their every need,” explained Louise as we sat on one of the store’s many couches. Like their other locations the Vancouver store is tastefully decorated and not at all over the top. There is a really friendly vibe among the staff, whether you’re shopping for a $500 pair of dress shoes or a pair of affordable skate shoes.

Buying has always been one of Gravity Pope’s strengths. Louise travels to shows all over the world looking for footwear that breaks convention and what will appeal to her wide range of clients. She is quick to point out that she never shops based on what’s in style, but she looks for what people will like, regardless of who’s wearing what and what will sell the most.

Coupled with a fantastic ability to search out different brands and bring in unique lines, is her knowledgeable staff. Gravity Pope has always focused on training their staff and educating them about all aspects of the products the store carries: how certain shoes are made, what types of leathers are used, where products are manufactured, who the designers are or some history on the company/brand itself. “Our number one focus for our business, which in turn creates a great experience for our customers is product knowledge among our staff,” said Louise.

Gravity Pope is successful because they have taken the stance that the customer’s experience is the most important aspect of the business, as opposed to the bottom line. Louise freely admits making money is great but she won’t do it at any cost. “We carry a huge selection of brands from designers around the world and our customers have come to expect us to constantly be on the lookout for new and innovative products.” As such, catering to the latest craze simply doesn’t work. Developing long-term customer relationships requires a certain respect be given to customers and that doesn’t come from being motivated by short-term sales and short term gains.

Flexibility and a personal touch
One of the beauties of independent retailers and especially a store like Gravity Pope is that they make the rules up as they go; from products and sales tracking to inventory controls, everything is done from scratch and Louise and her team are always on the lookout for what can work better. “At the end of the day, we want to create a fantastic experience for our clientele, and whatever we have to do to separate ourselves from the big retail chains or from the latest three month craze is business as usual.”

What separates Gravity Pope from so many other footwear retailers is the fact that the company, even with three stores and a budding online retail department, maintains that personal touch from its founder. As Louise said, “Up until last year, I still brokered all my own imports and picked everything up myself from the airport in my VW van.”

The Gravity pope website, www.gravitypope.com, has been another huge development over the last three years. Especially with repeat customers,” Louise says, “we wanted to be able to bring all our brands onto the site.” While still working out a few glitches the Gravity Pope website is a great place to learn about their business, the brands they carry, their history and finally shop for some of the coolest shoes available in North America.