Saving "Soles" in Downtown Shreveport

Ivory Daniels was raised in the shoe repair business. Working along side his father as a young man, he learned some valuable lessons. “My dad taught me the business, but more than that, how to treat people. Customer service is so important.”

Loyal customer and downtown businessman Ron Schorr agrees. “Ivory gets to know his customers and tries to do whatever the customer needs done. The customer comes first. No job is ever too small. He's just got a great attitude. If everyone knew about his reputation, he'd be retired by now.”

Daniels had a shoe repair business on the outskirts of downtown Shreveport in an area once thriving but now plagued by abandoned buildings and outside the flow of foot traffic. When a location in the reviving central business district downtown became available, he decided to relocate. A half block from the courthouse, the chamber of commerce, several downtown banks and office buildings and next door to one of the district's most popular lunch spots, his new location, Dee's Shoe Repair, is a great spot for walk-in traffic and an asset for customers working downtown.

After relocating, Daniels knew he needed to market his new location to tap into the substantial customer potential. He also needed to invest in advertising, increase his inventory, and enhance his business by offering a pickup and delivery service. For that, he needed a small business loan and sought assistance from the City of Shreveport Business Development Unit in the Department of Community Development. Funded in part with HUD Community Development Block Grant funds, the staff there assisted him in developing a business plan, including a marketing plan, and approved a low interest CDBG loan for $13,940 to assist him in paying for advertising, new inventory and purchasing a delivery vehicle.

He began an aggressive advertising campaign, entered into a contract for regular ad coverage with the local newspaper, initiated a direct mail campaign targeting downtown businesses, and ran ads in the local Bar Association journal and the Thrifty Nickel . “People started to come in and say, ‘I had no idea you were here. I work just around the corner and this is so convenient.'”

Asked about the city's small business development program, he replied, “It is a good program. It has really helped me. With money in hand, I was able to go to vendors and negotiate and get better prices for my inventory. It was a real bargaining tool. It helped me purchase a van to get my pickup and delivery service started.” He smiled as a Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office Deputy came in with an armload of boots, greeting this hardworking entrepreneur like an old friend. “I've got the work of the sheriff's office, too,” he said.

Daniels has had no problem making his loan payments. His pickup and delivery service is booming and he says he is still getting five or six new customers a week from his marketing efforts. In fact, he plans to pay this loan off early and apply for a second business development loan. “I'm thinking about a second location,” he says with a smile. With his hard work, knowledge of his business and service to his customers, that's no idle dream. There's nothing like saving lots of soles, especially when you're making friends and money to boot!