dream come true for a young lady who lived for her shoes

Larger-than-life dream come true for a young lady who lived for her shoes
Mark Russell

December 26, 2010

PERHAPS it was written in the stars - after all, Mira Smoljko always wanted to own a shoe shop. But it was what was written in a letter to the editor that changed the course of the 43-year-old's life.

As Ms Smoljko was reading the letter, fate stepped in with her towering stilettos and gave the mother of three the lift she needed to reach for her dreams.  The result is a women's shoe shop that caters for all sizes, but specialises in shoes for women with larger feet.

Ms Smoljko first had the idea to open a specialty shoe store when she was 15 but did not have the confidence to pursue her dream until she read a letter in The Sunday Age on July 12 last year from Elizabeth, a Bendigo woman bemoaning the lack of stylish and affordable shoes for her size-12 feet (equivalent to a men's size 10).

Elizabeth told how she had ''endured a lifetime of ill-fitting, blister-causing, heel-splitting and bone-fracturing (yes, really!) torture in my failed search for the elusive size-12 dress shoe''.  It was time, Elizabeth said, for shoe companies and specialty stores to stop discriminating against women with big feet.

For Ms Smoljko, who is 180 centimetres tall - just two centimetres shy of six feet - and wears a size-11 shoe, it was her ''light-bulb'' moment.

She said Elizabeth's letter made her realise there were a lot of other women just like her, struggling to find fashionable shoes, so she put together a business plan and by May this year had set up Glamazon Shoes in Union Road, Ascot Vale.

Now Ms Smoljko wants to find Elizabeth so she can thank her and give her a pair of ''gorgeous'' size-12 shoes.

''I still have Elizabeth's letter and it's pinned up in the back of the shop as a reminder of how it all began, and that signs are everywhere if you keep your eyes open,'' she said. ''I'm indebted to her.

''It was a turning point in my life.

''If it wasn't for her letter, I would never have had the courage to follow my dream.  ''I was thinking if I don't do something now, I'm going to hate myself forever.''  The shop, which carries sizes six to 13, will stock sizes 14 and 15 from early next year.

It already has attracted a devoted and grateful clientele. Ms Smoljko said some customers were so appreciative they hugged her.  Teenage girls with big feet had become regulars.

''Adolescence is so difficult … because you just want to be like everyone else. But if you're standing at five foot nine (175 centimetres), five foot 10, and you've got a size 11, 12 or 13 foot, it's doubly hideous because you really stand out.

''All you want to do is wear what your friends are wearing and fit in with the crowd and you just don't have that option.

''It's really satisfying to be able to help them.''

Some of her best customers, however, are cross-dressing men and transvestites who tend to require a larger size in women's shoes. ''They love it,'' she said.

And the next step? Ms Smoljko hopes to open a chain of stores across Melbourne.

MY THOUGHTS

sometimes, all it takes is a little nudge to get us going. or not. i wish i can find the courage to start something i've been thinking about for years. just one step. then another...