WATERLOO -- Stephanie Shavers opened her downtown business on the Cedar Valley's biggest shopping day.

"I decided to start with a bang -- the day after Thanksgiving," said the owner of Shoe Fetish Boutique, 616 Sycamore St. "This has been a dream of mine for so long, that I feel so blessed to finally be doing it."

The shop features flashy kicks, handbags and other fashion accessories. Shavers, a self-professed shoe freak, owns more than 300 pairs herself -- most of them purchased in Chicago, Des Moines or Las Vegas. Now that Shoe Fetish is open for business, area fashionistas can pick up designer shoes locally, including footwear by Steve Madden, Michael Antonio and Chinese Laundry.

"My goal was really to bring a little bit of the city here to Waterloo, but I also try to make the shoes affordable," said Shavers, noting that most of her products cost between $15 and $50. "And me, I love heels, but I try to offer something classy for every woman."

Shavers, who is still employed full time as an office worker at Covenant Medical Center, said the first three months of business have been 'a little slow.'"

"But I'm not discouraged, I expected that," said the entrepreneur. "We have some really

fashion-forward women in this area. I think there's really a need for a place like this."

And opening the boutique not only benefits shoe lovers, Shavers said. The shop is helping revive the downtown economy, and the Waterloo woman hopes her undertaking will inspire other people of color to pursue their business dreams.

"I think in this community, a lot of our young people in the African-American community don't have a lot role models that they see getting up and going to work and being successful," said Shavers, who also opened the store to benefit her 5-year-old son, Taj. "You can break the mold, but it is much easier if you've seen somebody model success for you and show you the importance of hard work."

Before opening Shoe Fetish, Shavers took courses through the University of Northern Iowa's Regional Business Center/Small Business Development Center. The classes covered everything "from figuring out how much you should pay for a lease, to how to find the right commercial insurance, to buying product and pricing," Shavers said.

"Stephanie definitely worked hard at thinking through her business, both on paper and one site," said James Hoelscher, a program manager with the organization. "She did her research, and it paid off."

Shoe Fetish compliments other fashion-related stores in the downtown area, and is becoming a destination spot for Cedar Valley shoe addicts, he said.

"Most people have a good idea floating around for a business, but they never get past the planning stages," Hoelscher said. "Stephanie weighed the risks and took the steps she needed to take. She's doing it the way it's supposed to be done."

The shop carries only two or three pairs of each shoe style, displayed along rich red walls. ("It kind of takes the wind out of your sails if you go out to be a one-of-a-kind shoe, and all of a sudden

everyone's

wearing it," explained Shavers.) The businesswoman orders new stock two times a week.

"My goal is to bring a bit of the big city here to Waterloo," she said. "So when I order, I'm picky. I think about my customers, and my potential customers, and I look for something a little out of the ordinary."

The shop now boasts a gold-heeled shoe with a plaid wool upper; a snappy pair of black leather flats; and an electric blue heel with a narrow toe to flatter all figures. Shaver solicits store visitors for feedback about her selection, and is constantly combing through catalogues to find new designers.

"I've had women come in with an outfit, and helped them find the right shoe for it," Shavers said. "And now that prom is coming, I'm getting all those girls coming in looking for their first pair of heels - We talk about color and style, and how to wear them."

Even if a customer doesn't leave the store with a package, Shavers works to make a favorable impression. On Wednesday she chatted up pals Lindsay Olson and Ashlee Halterman, both of Cedar Falls. The trio talked about this spring's hot colors -- royal purple and lime green -- and swapped stories about their favorite shoe styles.

Olson drooled over a pair of metallic pumps, and Shavers took down the shopper's name and number, promising to call her when her size was in stock.

"It's the shoes that make the outfit, and I've been looking for a good pair of silver heels for a

loooong

time," said Olson.

Shavers laughed, nodding her head emphatically.

"They do," she said. "It's all about the shoes."

Contact Mary Stegmeir

at (319) 291-1482 or

mary.stegmeir@wcfcourier.com.